Katie Watson
by THESherlockian
Summary: When John's adopted little sister tries to become a part of his life again, he is anything but pleased to see her. Will John accept Katie, or push her away like he did when they were young?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic, so feel free to give me any criticism you have. I'd honestly love to hear feedback so I can make it better. If this does well, I'll make sure to upload as often as possible. This chapter is really short, just so you have an idea of what's going on. Following chapters will be longer, with more content. :)**

It was Christmas Eve at 221B Baker Street, and Sherlock, John, Molly, Lestrard, and Mrs. Hudson were all celebrating together. Well, most of them were. Sherlock was in the kitchen, experimenting on human eyes. But everyone else was in the living room, socializing. It was snowing out, and even the flats excellent heating system had a hard time keeping the freezing air from invading the flat. The window in the living room didn't have the shades drawn, and it was easy to see that there were very little people out on the streets. Everyone was indoors, hiding from the weather. The flat was decorated with lights, decorations, tinsel, and even mistletoe hanging over the door frame leading out into the hallway. The party had been going for only an hour or so, and a bottle of celebratory wine had been opened. Sherlock knew he would have to rejoin everyone soon, as they would not tolerate his separation for long.

"Come on now, Sherlock" Mrs. Hudson pleaded, "come join  
us."

"Yeah Sherlock" John added, slightly more authoritatively, "put  
that stuff on hold. It's Christmas Eve for Christ's sake."

Sherlock sighed, defeated. He didn't like parties. Any social gathering made  
him feel bored and dismissive. John said he probably just felt awkward, but  
Sherlock knew that wasn't true. Sherlock Holmes never felt awkward. Even if he  
did, he wouldn't indulge John by telling him that he was.

As Sherlock came to join the group in the living room, he looked out the window  
in his attempt to avoid eye contact. When he looked onto the street, he was  
surprised to see someone walking on the street. Based on their height and body,  
Sherlock knew the pedestrian was most likely a teenage girl. Sure enough, as  
the figure came down the street, Sherlock's suspicions were confirmed.  
Uninterested, Sherlock turned away from the window. His gaze was returned  
though. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the stranger was approaching  
221B.

"Odd." Sherlock said, under his breath.

"What's that?" John asked.

"That." Sherlock said, as the front bell rang.

"Wonder who that could be" Mrs. Hudson said, heading for the door,  
"Strange that someone would be out in this weather. And on Christmas,  
even."

Mrs. Hudson opened the door, blocking the party's view of the stranger.  
Everyone had stopped talking, watching Mrs. Hudson answer the door. It was hard  
to hear their conversation, but soon Mrs. Hudson turned to look up at her  
guests.

"Boys, you've got a visitor!"

"Honestly, on Christmas?" Molly asked, slightly irritated, "Do  
you usually get clients on holidays?"

"No. We don't." Sherlock replied.

John and Sherlock went down the stairs to meet the visitor at the door, and  
Mrs. Hudson stepped out of their way into the hallway behind them. In the flat,  
everyone was silent, transfixed.

Standing out in the street was a teenage girl, wearing a well-worn brown leather jacket and loose fitting jeans. She was also wearing grimy converse, which could have been  
several years old by the looks of them. They were dirty, and had a few holes in  
them, revealing her bare feet. Her hair was wet from long exposure to snow, sticking to her head in brown tangles. Bits of snow were stuck in her hair, on her jeans, and had dark circles under her eyes, and was shivering slightly.

"I-I don't mean to bother you on Christmas Eve, but-" the girl began,  
voice shaking. She was looking at John, with an almost pleading expression.

"No." John replied, obviously angry, "Can't you leave me alone?  
I don't care that it's Christmas Eve, I don't want you here on any day of the  
year."

"John!" Mrs. Hudson snapped, "You know this girl?"

"I'm his sister."


	2. Cigarrete Burns

**So here's chapter two. I'd love to hear your criticism, so I can make this better. Thanks everyone for being so supportive of this. It makes my day :).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Katie**

"She's not my REAL sister." John replied, annoyed, "the  
brat is adopted."

The girl's eyes widened and she stepped back, but didn't turn away.

"Don't be cruel, John." Sherlock said. He wanted this whole mess  
resolved. _'A sister? Since when? Why wouldn't John have told me?'_ Sherlock  
thought to himself, slightly mystified.

"Why don't you come inside, sweetie?" Mrs. Hudson said, pushing the  
men out of the way of the door so the girl would have a path into the flat.

"May I?" She asked, looking at John.

He furrowed his brow, and received a blow to the chest from Mrs. Hudson's elbow  
before replying, "FINE." he turned and stomped up the stairs, and  
disappeared into his room.

The girl entered the flat, and said to Mrs. Hudson, "I'm so sorry about  
disturbing you on a holiday. It's the only time I could slip out of my foster  
home."

"Oh, it's alright dear," Mrs. Hudson replied, "it's about time  
something interesting happen."

The girl smiled, grateful. She was ushered into the flat by Mrs. Hudson, and  
looked apologetically at the group.

"I'm terribly sorry..." she said, before being interrupted by Molly.

"Don't you worry. And don't fret about John. I'm sure he'll cool off. He  
always does."

"Don't try to be reassuring Molly." Sherlock said, "It doesn't  
suit you."

"Why didn't you take a cab dear?" Mrs. Hudson asked, giving the girl  
a blanket to warm up in.

"Couldn't afford one." Sherlock answered, before the girl could,  
"obviously. Look at the state if her clothes and shoes. No one would allow  
that much wear and tear to come to their clothes if they could afford to  
replace them."

To everyone's surprise, the girl did not look the least bit surprised, but  
suddenly happy and excited, "You must be Mister Holmes. I read about you  
on my brother's blog." Sherlock rolled his eyes, bored with the girls  
banter. But his attention was called back, "I love your website.  
Absolutely brilliant. The identification of tobacco ash? Fantastic."

If a pin had been dropped, it would have been heard clearly. The room was so  
silent it was almost eerie.

"You read my website?" Sherlock asked, obviously surprised.

"Religiously." the girl replied.

"I won't let you stay just because you flatter my flat mate." John  
said behind her.

She turned, and immediately changed from friendly and talkative to anxious and  
shy, "John, please. I know you don't like me, but please don't make me go  
back." The girl was begging now, and she took a step towards John.

"For god's sake, Katie, quit being such a drama queen." John replied,  
angrily.

"She isn't acting John." Sherlock interjected. Upon receiving an  
angry look, he elaborated, "When you aren't around she is outgoing, but  
your arrival causes her to become introverted and afraid. This could mean one  
of two things, one being that she is legitimately afraid of you, which is  
unlikely. The other being that you make her nervous, yet she still desperately  
wants your approval. This means that you have given her a reason to act like  
this, and she expects you will reject her, but she is trying to make you like  
her anyway."

Mrs. Hudson added, "Just give her a chance, John."

"Please," Katie pleaded, "John I walked for four hours to get  
here. My foster dad knows I'm gone by now. He'll kill me when I go back."

"Then you shouldn't have come." John said, "I never wanted you  
in our family in the first place. Mum and Dad adopted you, not me"

"I don't know about you lot," Lestrard said, "but I need another  
drink." 

* * *

Awhile later, John was sulking in his room. Mrs. Hudson had invited Katie to  
stay at the flat overnight, since it was nearing midnight. Katie promised to  
call her foster family, and explain what had happened and where she was. Mrs.  
Hudson had given her some dry clothes, so she was no longer soaked with snow.  
Her hair had dried, and had changed from dark brown to bright orange. The hair  
made the girl look even paler than she had previously. Katie made Sherlock look  
tan. She had lots of freckles dotting her face, and her bright blue eyes were  
piercing. At sixteen, Katie wasn't tall for her age, but wasn't mistakable for  
a younger girl. Now everyone, except John, was in the living room, listening to  
Katie explain what was going on with her and John.

"Mr. and Mrs. Watson adopted me from Ireland when I was seven. My mum gave  
me up when I was three, because she didn't want to deal with me anymore. Said  
she was 'fed up with my nonsense'. When I was adopted, I was so happy... I  
finally had a family. When I came to England, Mrs. Watson made me feel so  
welcome..." The girl sniffed a bit, before regaining composure and  
continuing with her story, "But I suppose I made John feel jealous. I got  
so caught up in my new parents, I didn't realize how little attention he was  
getting from them. He said I was 'ungrateful', even thought that wasn't true. I  
loved my new life so much. Anyway, John joined the army and went to  
Afghanistan, probably because he was so fed up with me..."

Katie looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. The subject of John was  
obviously touchy, so no one pushed her to continue. Well, no one except  
Sherlock.

"When did they die?"

"Sherlock!" everyone yelled, collectively.

"No, it's okay. I don't blame him for being curious. I should have spoken  
faster." She glanced apologetically at Sherlock, obviously hoping he  
wouldn't get bored of her. It was clear she looked up to him. Her big brother  
liked him, and earning John's affection was an art that the girl had never  
mastered. Sherlock might as well have been a god. "Mr. and Mrs. Watson died when I was nine. They were rescuing people from  
a house fire, and the building fell, and they were crushed in the wreckage.  
They were always doing stuff like that. They put themselves in danger, if it  
meant saving others. I guess that's what made John the way he is. He's brave,  
kind, and loyal... He was devastated when they died. He was still in the army,  
so I was put back in foster care. Normally I would have gone to live with  
Harry, my older sister, but she was having some issues with alcohol."

"Of course." Sherlock said.

"Anyway, when John got out of the army, he didn't want to have anything to  
do with me. He refused to take custody of me, so I went back into the system.  
I've been circulation through homes for the past seven years. I age out of  
foster care in two years, but I was hoping I'd be able to spend it with  
John."

Katie sighed, and reached towards the table for her cup of tea, which was almost  
empty. When she extended her arm, a few inches of skin below her wrist became  
visible. Before she could pull it back, Sherlock wrapped his hand around it,  
and pushed the sleeve down. This revealed to the group a series of large dark  
circles on her arm, where burnt skin was flaking off. There were scars of  
healed ones as well as darker, fresh circles. This discovery was met by a  
series of gasps and disturbed remarks.

"Oh my god..." Molly said, startled.

"Cigarettes." Sherlock said plainly, obviously disgusted.

"What happened?" Lestrard demanded.

"Oh dear..." Mrs. Hudson gasped.

"It's nothing." Katie said, jerking her arm out of Sherlock's grasp.  
"My foster dad smokes, and he just get kind of upset sometimes."

"Katie, he BURNED you." Molly said, becoming enraged.

"It's not a big deal!" Katie stammered, "He doesn't know what  
he's doing. He gets angry when he's drunk, that's all." Katie jumped up from her seat and ran into the kitchen, where she could hide herself from view. She was clearly embarrassed, and nobody blamed her for wanting to get out of that situation.

Sherlock had gone to the window, and was looking out onto the street. He was  
considering going into his mind palace, in the hopes of figuring out the  
solution to the problem. Molly, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrard would deal with  
taking care of the girl. Sherlock sat down in his chair, steepled his fingers  
beneath his chin, and went completely silent.

"Geez, is he doing that thing?" Lestrard asked, slightly annoyed.

"Looks like it." Molly responded.

"We'll hopefully that means he'll know what to do soon." Mrs. Hudson  
said, "Because there's no way I'm letting that poor girl go back to that  
awful place."


	3. So Infuriating

**Here's chapter three! Like I've said, I'd be more than pleased to hear your criticism. I'm not 100% sure where this is going to go, but I guess we'll see!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Katie**

Katie had gone to the kitchen, and was refilling her empty teacup. She had fled  
as soon as she could once the burns were discovered, and she was still trying  
to get over her embarrassment. How could she be so stupid? She should have been  
more careful to keep her arm hidden. Now John would be so disappointed in her  
inability to defend herself, he'd never let her stay. She had tried so hard to  
impress his friends, hoping that if they liked her, John would change his mind  
about her. Ever since she first came to England, she had always looked up to  
him. Katie had never had a brother, and John was more than she could have ever  
hoped for. She screwed it up, though. She must be absolutely awful, if John  
could hate her as much as he did.

"Positively awful." Katie said under her breath, so no one could her.

Harry had been in college when Katie had been brought from Ireland, so they  
were never very close. But, Katie could tell Harry thought she was annoying.  
Harry had always been distant, and she and John never seemed to get along.  
Katie blamed herself, of course. They always seemed to argue about her.

_"Jesus, Harry!" John yelled,  
"again?"_

"Oh, get off my back!" Harry yelled back, holding a bottle of gin.  
She was home for John's birthday, and she had managed to get mind-bogglingly  
drunk in just a few hours of arriving.

"It's my BIRTHDAY for Christ's sake! Can't you do that at the  
university?!"

"Oh come on John, quit being such a drag. You're scaring twerp."  
Harry said, gesturing towards Katie, who was sitting with her knees tucked  
under her chin, arms wrapped around her legs, and cowering beneath the stairs.  
'Twerp' was Harry's new nickname for Katie, which she had come up with, while  
drunk, just a while before.

"Oh, who cares?" John said, giving up on the fight, "she's  
always scared."

"Probably because someone," Harry said, looking at John," is  
always yelling around her"

"I'm not always yelling."

"Clearly."

  
Katie poured a cup of tea, and took it into the living room.

"I'm going to go take this to John. He likes to drink tea when he's  
stressed."

The group of adults stopped talking, and stared at the girl. None of them could  
believe she was willing to subject herself to John and his temper. Katie  
nodded, and headed back to John's room.

Katie knocked on the door and said, "John? I brought you some tea. I  
remember you told me to get you tea that one time when you were stressed, and  
you told me it helped calm you down. Can I come in? Please?"

"If you must" was the only reply.

Katie opened the door softly, and walked into the room. John was standing on  
the other side of the room, and it was obvious that he had been pacing. Katie  
went to the bedside table and set the cup down with a small clink. She looked  
over and saw John had turned away from her, obviously not wanting to start a  
conversation. Sighing, Katie went back to the door.

"Your friends are very nice. I see why you hang out with them. I'm glad  
you've found such good people to be around." Katie said, closing the door and  
her way out of the room.

Sherlock watched Katie leave the room with the cup, and returned a few moments  
later without it. She was obviously sad, but he hadn't heard any yelling coming  
from John's room. He had ignored her. Sherlock knew the two must not have  
gotten along, otherwise John would have mentioned his adopted sister. But, the  
girl seemed very devoted to her brother. He clearly had something against her  
that she either hadn't figured out, not properly apologized for, or couldn't do  
anything about. Sherlock knew John was very stubborn, and that the latter was  
very likely. If Katie's suspicion regarding her brother's disliking of her was  
correct, and John disapproved of her due to his parents being more attentive to  
their new daughter than to their son, Sherlock was slightly worried that it  
would be very difficult to change John's mind. He was the kind of person who  
would be heartbroken at the loss of a parent's attention, and even more so at  
the loss of the parent themselves. John blamed Katie for the loss of his mother  
and father. Sherlock had never understood why people allowed themselves to  
become so attached to another human being. Sherlock was attached to his violin.  
His microscope. His skull, and scarf. He allowed those connections to be made  
because those things could never disappoint him. If they did, he could easily  
replace them with something that would do its job properly. People, Sherlock  
had learned, weren't like that. If someone disappointed you, you couldn't just  
replace them with someone new. Normal people were so infuriating. 


	4. The Phone Call

Katie was on the landline, calling her foster father. She was reluctant  
to call, but Mrs. Hudson wouldn't allow her to put it off any longer. The  
adults were watching quietly, trying not to eavesdrop. They were failing  
miserably, but Katie appreciated it just the same. Putting the phone to her  
ear, Kate looked to Sherlock almost as if pleading for help. But, he was the  
only one in the room not staring at her. Sherlock was composing music, and  
obviously uninterested in the events that were transpiring.

"Hello Mr. Banks, it's Katie," she said, before being interrupted.  
The voice was loud, and was heard all the way across the room. Even Sherlock  
couldn't ignore the yelling coming from the phone. Katie was clearly trying to  
keep her cool, but it was obviously difficult for her not to break down,  
"yes sir, I know it's nearly one. I should have spoken to you before going  
out-" a pause, "yes sir. I know you told me I couldn't go see him,  
but I-"

Before any more could be heard, Sherlock stood and crossed the room to where  
Katie was standing. He put his hand out, obviously wanting Katie to give him  
the phone. She shook her head in response, but he simply replied by taking the  
phone from her. With the speaker uncovered, everyone could clearly hear a man  
yelling on the phone.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH. SNEAKING OUT. THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!"

Both Molly and Mrs. Hudson cringed, and Lestrard looked sympathetic. Sherlock  
turned to them and pointed at the door.

"Out." he said, with no intention of arguing. The three adults  
quickly left the room, casting Katie sympathetic smiles. Sherlock put the phone  
to his ear, and ignored Katie's silent pleas that he let her handle it.  
"Excuse me," Sherlock said, "but I think we can agree that  
yelling is not the best way to handle this. I mean honestly. Only an idiot  
would act the way you seem to be more than capable of." Sherlock looked at  
Katie, and pointed at the door.

"What?" Katie asked, confused. Sherlock answered only by shoving her  
out the door, and closing it behind her. With the door closed firmly, it was  
impossible to hear what was being said in the other room. Sherlock was probably  
selling her out to her foster father. He hated her, and was going to let him  
come and take her back.

Katie sank down to the floor, and brought her knees up under her chin. She had  
come all this way for nothing. John still hated her. Sherlock hated her. Now  
she would have to go back to her foster home, where she would never be able to  
try to make amends with her brother. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself,  
Katie started to let the tears that had been brimming behind her eyes start to  
fall down her face. Once she started to cry, it was impossible to stop. Katie  
was sobbing, and had to take violent, jerking breaths in order to breathe. She  
hated herself for it, but Katie knew she probably deserved this. Her mother had  
hated her. Her older brother hated her. Hell, even Sherlock Holmes hated her.

No. Katie refused to wait and let her foster father come and take her back to  
that awful house. If she couldn't make up with John, so be it. But returning  
with Mr. Banks was more than Katie could handle. She raised herself up, and  
despite barely being able to see through the massive amount of tears in her  
eyes, made her way to the stairs leading to the front door. She would leave  
before Mr. Banks arrived, and would be long gone by the time her disappearance  
was realized.

The stairs were closer than Katie had realized, and she fell with a loud  
banging down to the landing. Both Molly and Mrs. Hudson were upstairs waiting  
to be allowed back into the flat, so they didn't hear the ruckus, and Lestrard  
had decided this was all too much for him, and had left quickly after being  
kicked out. Sherlock was busy on the phone, negotiating with Mr. Banks  
regarding Katie's adoptive status. Sherlock didn't like children, but he knew that  
regaining a healthy relationship with his little sister would be good for John.  
Plus, she read his website. She had called it 'absolutely brilliant' and  
'fantastic'. How bad could she really be?

No one heard Katie fall. No one heard her crying. No one, except John. John had  
heard it all. He hated Katie, but he wasn't going to let her get really hurt.  
If anything happened to her in the flat, Mrs. Hudson would kill him. He didn't  
care because he cared about HER. He just didn't want his landlady to be pissed  
at him. So, John quickly left his room and went down the stairs to Katie. She  
was in a ball, tears staining her face, sniffling. Her eyes were closed, and  
she had managed to stop sobbing. John went down on the floor, and picked Katie  
up. She was relatively small, and it wasn't difficult for John to lift her. He  
carried her up the stairs, and saw that the door to the flat was closed. John  
sighed, and took Katie into his room. He set her down on a large chair, which  
had big puffy cushions and soft upholstery. Katie sank into the chair, and  
tried to get a hold of herself. She didn't want to cry in front of her brother  
any more then she had to. Katie heard John cross the room, and sit down at the  
desk she had seen earlier.

Katie sniffled one last time, and opened one eye. She was correct in that  
John had sat at the desk. He was typing on his laptop, and Katie could see his  
blog logo at the top of the screen. John was typing quickly, and Katie could  
tell that he was annoyed, due to his posture. She had always watched John  
carefully when he had still lived with his parents, so she could always tell  
how he was feeling based on his posture as well as facial expressions, speech,  
and even what food he went for. John didn't like Katie, but she adored him.

"Mrs. Hudson came in here a little while ago," John said, "said  
you had some cigarette burns on your arm."

Katie cringed. She had been hoping John wouldn't find out about the burns,  
"Yes, I suppose I do."

"Want me to take a look?" John asked. He didn't want to be closer to  
her then he had to, but Mrs. Hudson would have his head if he let her get  
herself sick due to an infection from her arm.

"If you want to, I guess you can."

John nodded, and crossed to the chair. Katie sat up, and slowly pulled her  
jacket sleeve down to her elbow. John bent down in front of her, and looked  
carefully at the dark circular marks.

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."

"Excuse me?"

"There have to be at least twenty burns here. No one deserves that."

"Not even me?"

"Not even you." John replied, quickly making his way out of the room.

Katie smiled a little on the floor. She knew John wasn't acting this way  
because he liked her, but it was nice that he was acknowledging her. He was  
going to protect her. He was a god, all-powerful. There was no doubt in Katie's  
mind that John could do anything he wanted.

John barged into the living room, and was met with Sherlock sitting quietly in  
his chair. He was no longer on the phone, and seemed to be in deep thought.  
John didn't want to have this conversation with his flat mate. Sherlock didn't  
like children, and John doubted he would allow Katie to stay. John had no  
intention to allow her to stay for the remaining two years of foster care, but  
he figured she could stay until they found a better home for her.

"Mr. Banks is coming here tomorrow," Sherlock said casually.

"What?"

"He's coming here. He should arrive around noon."


	5. Really That Bad

"You're letting him take her back?"

"No, not at all. He's coming to sign the custody papers for Katie."

"Wait, hold on. Katie is going to live here?" John said, confused.

"Yes. I won't allow her to return with that man. He is cruel and  
abusive."

John sighed, both relieved and angry. He was glad he wouldn't have to convince  
Sherlock to allow Katie to stay, because Sherlock was probably the most  
stubborn person John had ever met. But, John was also extremely pissed. He went  
ahead and adopted Katie without even consulting him? For gods sakes,  
'consulting' was in his job title!

"Sherlock, I don't want her to live here. She doesn't belong here."

"No, she doesn't. But better here than there."

"Can she just stay until we can find a better place?" John argued.

"No, we can't. It's part of my agreement with Mr. Banks that she stay with  
us until she's eighteen. He said he doesn't want to chance her coming back.  
Apparently she's been circulating through foster homes ever since she went back  
into the system. Mr. Banks thinks we'll give up on her and he'll have to take  
her back."

"But Sherlock, I don't WANT her here." John yelled.

"Y-you don't?" Katie said from the hallway, "Am I really that  
bad?"

John spun around, and it was obvious he was going to try to convince her  
otherwise. But before he did, his face fell. John didn't want to do this. He  
had never liked Katie, and if he lied he might have to deal with her for two  
long years.

"No. I don't" John said, "and yes. You are."

Katie's eyes widened, "But, John... I-"

"No buts Katie! I'm so sick of you! You and your stupid little kid eyes!  
You've always been such a little attention hog, and I'm sick of it. I've never  
liked you, and I never will."

Katie didn't try to argue, or change Johns mind. All she did was turn, and run.  
She ran down the stairs, out the door, and into the street before anyone could  
stop her. It was still snowing out, and the temperature made Katie pause. She  
turned, and looked into 221B. No one had come to try and catch her before she  
left for good.

"I'm so sorry John!" Katie yelled, and ran into an alley. Her running  
footsteps could be heard for only a few minutes, before even the echoes were  
too quiet for anyone to hear.

"What happened?" Mrs. Hudson said, coming into the flat.

"Where's Katie?" Molly asked, "We heard yelling. Is everything  
alright?"

"Katie is gone." Sherlock answered

"What do you mean, 'she's gone'? Where did she go?" Molly asked,  
becoming very worried.

"I didn't know she was behind me..." John said, looking out the  
window, "and then I got angry and yelled. I forgot how sensitive she is to  
that kind of thing."

"It's freezing out!" Mrs. Hudson said, changing the subject,  
"what if something happens to her?"

"Sherlock, why don't you get your homeless network out looking for  
her?" Molly asked.

"It's freezing out. No one is going to be outside. They'll all be in soup  
kitchens and subway stations." Sherlock said, dismissively.

"Why don't we call Detective Inspector Lestrard?" Mrs. Hudson said,  
"I bet he would help."

"Yeah, he knows what's going on with her. I'm sure he'll lend us a  
hand." Molly added.

"I'm going out to look for her." John said, pulling his coat on,  
"I got us into this mess. I'm not gonna let that twerp die out  
there," and John hurried out the door.

"I'll go look the opposite direction." Sherlock said, hurrying down  
the stairs, and could be seen running the opposite direction.

"You say here Mrs. Hudson, in case she comes back," Molly said, pulling  
out her cell phone, "I'll call Lestrard. Then I'll drive around where the  
boys won't get in time. She might go in the streets, and I may be able to catch  
her then."

"All right," Mrs. Hudson said in agreement, "I'll hold down the  
fort."


	6. New Big Brother

Several hours later, Katie had still not been found. Even with Sherlock and John searching the alleys, Molly on the roads, and a group of police officers running searches. No one wanted to say it, but if the girl was out in the snow for too long, she could get really sick. John felt extremely guilty. Even though he didn't like Katie, he knew he was to blame for this whole mess. He should have been more careful while talking to Sherlock, or at least calmer while talking to his little sister. Also, the fact that the only thing Katie said was an apology before she left made John almost guilty. She had always adored him, and had made it her ultimate goal to find him and try to make amends. Hearing the things John had said had probably destroyed her. The only reason Katie would have run out and put herself in this kind of trouble was if she really couldn't think of a better solution. She hadn't WANTED to freeze to death. She just couldn't stand staying in the flat any longer. Katie had always tried hard to make him approve of her, and that might have been one of the things that annoyed him about her. She refused to give up, despite John's every attempt to make her do so. As he searched the alleys for her, calling her name and apologizing, John thought about the first day he met Katie. She had just flown in from Ireland, and he was at the airport terminal waiting for his parents. They were bringing her to London that day, but John mostly just missed his parents, but was also excited about his new sibling.

_'This terminal is way too crowded,' John thought to himself, I'll never find Mum and Dad at this rate.'_

John stepped up onto a chair, trying to look over the crowds of people to find his parents. The airplane was emptying, and there were lots of people crowding into the terminal. Even though passengers were filing out of the terminal, they were doing it too slowly for John's tastes.

'That,' John thought, 'is probably why they aren't here yet. Probably stuck on the plane.'

John was about to give up, and go get a cup of coffee while the plane emptied out. By the time he got back, his parents were sure to be out by then. Then, he could have some coffee on hand to give them. John smiled to himself, pleased with the idea of giving coffee to his folks. He was about to step off the chair, when his attention was called back to the door. A girl, no older than seven, was asleep and being carried off the plane. Whoever was holding her was too short to be seen due to all the people, but John could see the child without too much trouble. She was ordinary, save for the brightest orange hair John had ever seen. John found himself staring at her, and wondering how one managed to get their hair to be that shade of orange. It could have been red, and it made the girl look very pale.

As she was carried closer, John could see that it was his mother who was carrying her.

'Oh,' John thought, 'so THAT'S Katie.'

John's father waved, and his mother smiled, unable to wave. John waved back, and stayed on the chair so they wouldn't lose him in the crowd. None of them could ever be classified as tall; in fact John had been one of the shortest kids in his last year of college, which he was currently finishing. As his parents got closer, the little girl's eyes started to open a little bit, but she was clearly exhausted. John thought she looked sweet enough, and he hoped they would get along. He and his older sister had had some issues lately, so John wanted a healthier bond with his younger sister.

When his parents got within a couple of feet of him, John stepped off the chair. He hugged his father first, since he wasn't carrying a child.

"Hey Dad," John said, smiling, "I missed you"

"I missed you too John," his father replied.

"Didn't forget about your old mum, did you?" John's mother asked, smiling.

"Of course not!" John hugged his mother, trying not to startle Katie, "I missed you both so much." John turned to Katie, who's eyes were half-closed, "Hi there. You must be little Katie. I'm John, your new brother."

"Hello Jawn," Katie said. Everyone smiled, as Katie maneuvered out of her new mother's arms into her brother's.

"Well then," Mrs. Watson said, pretending to be upset, "I guess I know where I stand in this family."

Katie turned her head, obviously surprised, "I'm part of your family now?"

"Of course you are" John said.

"Isn't she so cute?" Mrs. Watson asked.

"She really is adorable" Mr. Watson said. John's parents continued to coo over Katie, as John tried to start a conversation.

"So how was Ireland?" no response, "It's been busy around here. I got my finals results back. I did pretty well, but I need to work a little on my math. Harry is still having alcohol issues, and she refuses to go to AA. You guys were gone for a long time, I'd love to hear what you did." Despite his attempts at engaging them, his parents pretty much ignored him, as they talked about Katie's adorable-ness.

"That's really great Jawn. You seem like the kind of person who's really smart. I bet you did great on your finals," Katie said, looking up at him. She was smiling, and was mostly ignoring Mr. and Mrs. Watson, "who's Harry? I heard Mr. and Mrs. Watson talking about her once. Is she your sister?"

"Yeah." John responded.

"Oh," Katie said, her smiling fading away, "I'm sorry. I'm sure she'll get better."

"I doubt it," John said, "she's been this way for a while."

"Maybe. But she has you. You're a great brother Jawn. She'll be okay, I'm positive."

John smiled, in spite of himself. He was right, she was sweet.

"Katie dear," Mrs. Watson said, before John could respond, "would you like to head for your new home?"

Katie's smile returned, "I'd love to!"

So, they all headed to the parking garage. John had recently received his driver's license, so he didn't think it was a good idea to drive. He would have gotten his license sooner, but he never really saw the point. Plus, he wanted to get to know his new sister.

"Would you mind driving?" Mr. Watson said.

"What?" John asked, confused. He was just about to hand his car keys to his father.

"Can you drive? Your mother and I are dying to talk to Katie"

"Didn't you guys just have a whole plane ride together?"

"Well yes, but she's way too cute for one of us to miss out on! You drive, and we'll catch up when we get home." Mr. Watson said, getting into the car. Katie sat between them, and started talking about how happy she was that she didn't have to sit in a car seat anymore.

"All right..." John said, getting into the drivers seat. He had been hoping that, since he had to drive, one of his parents would sit in the passenger seat next to him so they could talk, but they both sat in the back with Katie. John consoled himself, knowing he could talk to his parents when they arrived home.

John was wrong. As soon as they arrived home, his parents 'absolutely had to show little Katie around' and then it just kept piling up. Whenever they finished an activity, one of the Watson parents would come up with another game to play, or story to tell.

Finally, John snapped, "Hey! Can I just have one minute of your attention? You were in Ireland for three months! I just want to sit down, and have a conversation with you for one minute! I know Katie is cute, but she'll still be here."

"John, for gods sakes," Mrs. Watson said, angrily," get a hold of yourself. We'll catch up in a little while. But first, we need to show Katie the park down the street!"

"Can Jawn come?" Katie pleaded.

"You can play with John later" Mr. Watson said, hurrying them out the door.

Katie ducked out from under his arm and ran over to John, "Please come with us to the park, Jawn"

"Just go, Katie." John said, slightly frustrated. He knew it wasn't Katie's fault. She was trying to involve him, but his parents were just kind of stubborn, "we'll play later"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After that, John got more and more frustrated with his parents for ignoring him. They always gave Katie the most attention, and unintentionally shut their son out. Now, John realized that he had always been angry with Katie for something she couldn't change. She had tried to get his parents to pay attention to him more, and they just shrugged her off. Finally, John had given up and jointed to military. When he found out they had died, he had blamed Katie, because he hadn't been able to spend quality time with his parents since she was adopted. She had been the reason they didn't pay attention to him, but now he knew she hadn't done it on purpose. In the past, he had never thought back very much about how hard Katie had tried, especially once he started to dislike her. She had been heartbroken when he joined the military, and now he felt genuinely guilty for treating her the way he had.

"Katie!" John shouted, jogging through an alley, "Katie, come out! Please, I'm not angry anymore! I'm really sorry, Katie!"

From behind a dumpster, John heard, "Really? You aren't mad at me?"


	7. Out In The Snow

John quickly pulled the dumpster away from the wall. It was on wheels, so it  
was pretty easy to move, "No, I'm not. I've been thinking about how I  
treated you, and I realize now that you didn't deserve any of that." Katie  
was behind the dumpster, and was looking up at John hopefully. She was soaked,  
since it had started to snow again, and it had settled between the wall and the  
dumpster. Katie was shivering violently, and her skin was an odd shade of blue,  
"Oh my god, Katie!" John quickly pulled her out of the snow, and took  
his jacket off. He went to put it around her, but she put her hands out to  
block him.

"No John, I'm okay. It's freezing out, you could get sick if you don't  
wear your coat." Katie smiled a little at John, and she hugged him.

"Hold on, I'm gonna call Sherlock. Let him know I've found you. We've been  
searching everywhere. Then I'll call Molly and tell her to meet us on the  
street. There's no way you can walk that far in this state." John pulled  
his phone out of his pocket, and dialed Sherlock.

"John," Sherlock said, "have you found Katie?"

"Yes, but she's freezing. We need to get her to Baker Street as quickly as  
possible"

"I'll meet you there. Call Molly."

"On it"

Sherlock hung up, and John quickly called Molly.

"Molly? Where are you? I found Katie, but she's in bad shape. I don't  
think she can walk the way back to the flat."

"I'm on my way. I'll pick you up as soon as possible. Let me know what the  
street is once you get there."

"Sure thing." John held Katie as still as was possible as he ran to  
the street. He looked up at the street sign on the corner, and texted Molly the  
street name. A few minutes later, Molly rolled to a stop in the street in from  
of Katie and John. As quickly as John was able, he strapped into the car and  
buckled Katie into the middle seat, so he could be right next to her. It was  
much warmer in the car than outside, and John told Molly to turn it down a bit.

"If she gets too warm too fast, her heart won't be able to handle the  
sudden change in temperature," Molly quickly turned the heating until John  
told her to stop, and she drove back to Baker Street as quickly as was safe.  
Her car had chains on the wheels, so they didn't have to worry too much about  
losing control, but neither she or John wanted to chance an auto accident.

"Jawn?" Katie said quietly. She hadn't said Johns name like that  
since he started giving her the cold shoulder, and it took him a moment to  
respond.

"Yes Katie?"

"I'm so sorry Jawn. For everything. For stealing your parents, and ruining  
your Christmas, and making you come out here in this weather..."

"Katie, it's alright. I know you didn't do any of that on purpose,"  
John said, trying to comfort her.

"Are you sure? I heard you and Sherlock talking, and you don't have to  
take custody of me if you don't want to. I'm sure I can convince Sherlock to  
let Mr. Banks take me back, and then you won't ever have to see me again-"

"No, Katie. I don't want that at all. I know I had some issues when we  
were younger, but I'm over all that. You're my little sister, and there's no  
way I'm letting that bastard take you away."

Katie's eyes widened, as a huge smile spread across her face. She threw her  
arms around his neck, which was difficult because they were still in the car.  
Despite this however, John smiled and hugged her back. He had missed this. He  
had forgotten how nice it was to be adored.

When they got back to Baker Street, Mrs. Hudson was already at the door with a  
blanket. Molly had obviously called her before picking up John and Katie. Katie  
was still shivering quite a bit, despite the car heater gradually being turned  
up. So, when John carried her though the door, Mrs. Hudson quickly gave John  
the blanket, and he took Katie into the living room. He set her on the couch,  
and draped the blanket over her.

"Mrs. Hudson, could you get her some dry clothes? I'll get her something  
warm to drink, if you, Molly, will stay with her."

"Of course," both Molly and Mrs. Hudson said in unison.

Molly took John's spot on the floor next to Katie, who was wrapping herself up  
in the blanket. John dashed to the kitchen, where he started to make tea as  
quick as possible. Mrs. Hudson was already downstairs, getting together clothes  
that would fit Katie's small frame. Sherlock wasn't back yet, and John texted  
him asking where he was, while he waited for the tea to be done.

"Where r u?" John texted.

"Almost there. Is Katie okay? SH" Sherlock responded only a few  
seconds after.

"She's alright, but we'll definitely need to keep a close eye on  
her."

"*tag*. You're it. SH"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm not watching her. You are. Hence the '*tag*'. Honestly,  
and you say I don't understand people. SH"

John rolled his eyes, and steeped the tea. It was steaming, but not dangerously  
so. When he handed it to Katie, she took it gratefully and took a sip. Mrs.  
Hudson came back then, and put a small stack of clothes on the table in front  
of the couch.

"There's a long sleeved shirt there, so you don't have to wear that  
soaking jacket." Mrs. Hudson said with satisfaction. When she had given  
her dry clothes the first time, Katie had insisted on wearing her jacket,  
despite it being wet. Katie smiled at Mrs. Hudson.

"Thank you. So much."

"Of course dear," Mrs. Hudson answered with a smile. Then, to John  
and Molly, "Has anyone told Lestrard that we found her so he can let those  
nice men go home?"

"I'm on it." Molly answered, dialing her phone as she went out into  
the hall. Bits of her conversation could be heard from inside, but no one  
listened.

"You guys got Lestrard to look for me too?" Katie asked.

"Him and half the London police force." John said, smiling.

"You have no idea how much that means to me" Katie said, returning  
John's smile.


	8. Foster Father

By the time Sherlock arrived at the flat, Katie was asleep on the couch.  
She had changed, and her clothes were in the dryer. Lestrard had dropped by to  
check on Katie, then went home once he saw that she was asleep. Molly decided  
to stay just until Sherlock came home so she could wish him a Merry Christmas,  
so she and John sat in the kitchen talking with very low voices. When Sherlock  
came into the flat, he saw Katie was asleep, and resisted the urge to start  
playing his violin. It wasn't that he cared whether or not it woke Katie up,  
but more that he knew John would probably toss his prized instrument out the  
window. Molly saw that he had returned, and got up from the table.

"Happy Christmas, John," Molly said, before leaving the kitchen,  
"Happy Christmas, Sherlock" she added, walking out the door of the  
flat.

"Happy Christmas to you too" John responded before she left. Sherlock  
stayed silent, and draped his scarf over the back of his chair. He took off his  
coat, and hung it up.

"I'm going to turn in," Sherlock said, "goodnight John."

"Night Sherlock. See you in the morning," John responded,  
absentmindedly.

"Why wouldn't you?" Sherlock asked, slightly confused.

"Never mind"

"Fair enough"

Sherlock went back into his bedroom, and John could hear him close his door  
behind him. John wasn't sure he wanted to go to bed just yet, as he was  
slightly nervous about meeting Mr. Banks the next day. He would have to resist  
the urge to shoot him after seeing what he had done to Katie. Even when he  
hadn't resolved things with her, John had still wanted to protect Katie. But  
now that John felt that Katie was his sister and not a burden, he felt it was  
more important than ever to keep her safe and happy.

The next morning, John woke up when he heard the television turn on in the  
living room. He went to investigate, and found Sherlock and Katie watching  
Doctor Who together. From what John could tell, the Doctor was having some  
weeping angel issues. John loved the Weeping Angel episodes, and immediately  
sat down to watch. It was still relatively early, so no one was concerned about  
running out of time yet, but the threat of Katie's foster father was still very  
real. John could tell that Katie was nervous, but that she was trying very hard  
to conceal it. Sherlock, as usual, didn't look like he cared very much. He was  
focused on the television, pointing out seemingly obvious mistakes of both the  
characters and the writers under his breath.

Several episodes of Doctor Who later, it was about 11:30, and Katie was pacing  
back and forth though the hallway. She was originally pacing in the living  
room, but had left upon receiving a death glare from Sherlock. John was also  
slightly nervous, but not nearly as much as Katie. He knew that there was no  
real danger, and that it would be alright in the end. Katie, while she would  
never admit it, was still scared that John might change his mind and let Mr.  
Banks take her back. Mr. Banks would be pissed that he had gotten so close to  
getting rid of her, then have gotten his hopes up for nothing. He had never  
hidden the fact that he hated her. Sure, Katie had made some mistakes, but Mr.  
Banks just hated children. The only reason he kept Katie around was because his  
elderly mother would only give him her money when she died if he had some sort  
of family. No woman would ever want to marry him, so fostering a child was the  
obvious answer.

Fifteen minutes after noon, the front bell rang. Katie let out a small scream,  
and ran into John's room.

"Tell me when he's gone!" she yelled, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Sherlock went to the front door, and opened it with a completely calm facial  
expression. John was sitting in his chair, trying to stay as calm as Sherlock  
appeared to be. He hadn't said anything about the upcoming meeting that  
morning, and John only hoped he hadn't changed his mind after the previous  
night's disaster.

When the door was opened, it revealed a monster of a man on the other side. Mr.  
Banks was taller than Sherlock at six foot four, and had an army style buzz  
cut. He was smoking, and part of a tattoo was visible above the neckline of his  
leather jacket. There was a flatbed truck parked on the street in front of  
221B, and it was painted as black as the man's boots. Sherlock kept his cool,  
inviting the man inside.

"Please, come in. It's just up the stairs."

Mr. Banks nodded, passed him, and went up the stairs. He entered the flat, and  
surveyed the room. John shrank into his seat, slightly taken aback. Even when  
the man sat down on the couch, he was still much taller than John. He took out  
an envelope from his coat, and set it on the coffee table. Sherlock rejoined  
them, and sat in his seat across from John.

"So..." John began, "you're Mr. Banks?"

"Yeah," Mr. Banks replied, "who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm John Watson, that's Sherlock Holmes," John said politely,  
"it's nice to meet you."

"Damn right. Alright, let's get this done." Mr. Banks said, obviously  
not looking to have a conversation. He pulled out a packet of folders from the  
envelope, and handed them to John, "Sign those, and I'll sign afterwards.  
Then that little bitch will be your problem."

"Hey," John said, suddenly angry, "don't talk about Katie like  
that."

"Why shouldn't I?" Mr. Banks replied, "It's definitely deserved.  
Do you know what she did?"

"Doesn't matter. You still can't talk about her like that. She could never  
do anything to be talked about, or treated, the way you do."

"Really?" Mr. Banks challenged, "How about stealing booze from  
me?"

Slightly surprised, John asked, "What?"

"Yeah. Stole my beer right out from under my nose. Told her I'd call the  
police if I caught her doin' it again. Made sure she knew I was being serious,  
then I let it go. But then, I caught her stealing even more. But hey, I didn't  
want to call the police. I wasn't supposed to be buyin' anymore more alcohol.  
So I taught her a lesson, and didn't catch her doing it again. I'm just warnin'  
you, so you can keep an eye out for her stealin'." Mr. Banks leaned back,  
obviously satisfied with himself.

"You're lying!" John yelled.

"Do I look like I'm lying?"

John huffed, balling his hand into a fist. How dare he lie about Katie like  
that? John quickly signed the papers, and handed them back to Mr. Banks. He  
signed them, and put them back in the envelope. Instead of returning it to his  
jacket, he tossed it on the table.

"You need to take that to get it recognized by Child Protective Services  
or whatever. There's a business card in there," he said, gesturing towards  
the envelope, "and they'll take care of it. Then Kathy will be your  
problem."

"Katie," Sherlock said, "her name is Katie."

John was glad Sherlock said something. He had been silent the entire time, and  
John had been getting somewhat concerned, "Have you been getting her name  
wrong this whole time?"

"What? No. Of course not." Mr. Banks shook his head, and stood up  
from the sofa. Both Sherlock and John stood up as well, and watched him look  
around the room, "Where is Kathy anyway?"

"Katie," John said, gritting his teeth, "doesn't want to see  
you."

Mr. Banks shrugged, and went out the door, "Her loss. Didn't want to see  
her anyways."

Both John and Sherlock followed him down the stairs to the front door, and  
watched as he exited the building and got into his truck. The two were silent,  
watching him drive until he turned off of Baker Street. Sherlock, who was  
behind John, reached across him and pushed the door closed.

"Well, glad that's over." Sherlock headed up the stairs, back to the  
flat, "Katie! He's gone!"

Katie reappeared in the hall, and came into the living room, smiling from ear  
to ear, "Good. I could smell his cigarette from John's room."

Neither John or Sherlock said anything, merely looked at Katie with a mixture  
of confusion and disappointment. John couldn't figure out why Katie would steal  
booze, and Sherlock already knew why, and he didn't like it.

"Katie," John said, "is it true that you stole beer from your  
foster father?"

Katie stared at John, open mouthed, "w-what? No, I didn't."

"Don't lie, Katie." Sherlock said.

"I mean, I did, but it's not like I-"

"Explain this to me, Katie." John said, then, to Sherlock, "You  
already have this figured out?"

"Yes." Sherlock responded.

"Do I want to hear it from you or her?"

"You'll want to hear it from her."


	9. Not The Most Popular Girl

John sighed, and sat on the couch, "Alright. Sit and explain  
yourself." Katie slowly went to the couch, and sat next to John. Sherlock  
sat in his normal chair, and steepled his fingers under his chin. He was  
obviously listening, but not wanting to be bored by the unimportant details he  
knew Katie would up undoubtedly share.

"At my high school, I'm not exactly known for my popularity." Katie  
began, "A lot of people bully me, and it's been pretty hard for me to  
concentrate on school more than them. So a few months ago, it was getting  
pretty bad, but I knew Mr. Banks wouldn't let me leave. I got desperate. I told  
one of the most popular girls in school that I would get her as much beer as  
she wanted, as long as she got everyone to leave me alone. Denise goes to a lot  
of parties, and is always trying to do things that will make people like her.  
It's hard for her to get alcohol, because of how careful her parents are with  
it, so she agreed. It was great. No one bullied me anymore, as long as I left a  
couple six-packs of beer behind the English building every Friday. I never  
drank any of it, I swear. I would also go to wherever Denise was throwing her  
party that weekend, and hide somewhere no one would see me. If things got out  
of control and I thought someone might get hurt, I'd call the cops. I never got  
caught watching the parties. They got busted up a bunch of times, but everyone  
assumed some annoyed neighbor called about the music. No one ever got hurt, and  
I wasn't being bullied anymore. It was a win-win for everyone, until Mr. Banks  
found me sneaking out with his booze. He was pissed. Burned me four times. That  
was a few weeks ago, and I've been more careful about stealing from him. We  
left for Christmas break last week, so Denise said there wasn't going to be a  
crazy party that weekend, so there was no point in me wasting good booze. We go  
back to school after New Years... I don't know what I'm going to do."  
Katie looked at the floor, unable to look at either John or Sherlock. She was  
incredibly embarrassed. Up until that moment, Katie hadn't thought about what  
was going to happen to her at school. She had looked around the flat, and  
hadn't found any beer, not that she would have stolen from her brother.

"Is that what you thought, Sherlock?" John asked.

"Yes." Sherlock responded, absentmindedly.

"Well, it wasn't what I had been thinking. I was worried you were going to  
turn into Harry." John was clearly trying to console Katie, who seemed to  
be close to tears.

"I'm really sorry, Jawn," Katie said, eyes still glued to the floor,  
"I should have said something before you signed the custody papers."

"It wouldn't have changed anything." John said, "We'll figure  
something out. If you have to change schools, so be it."

"There's a school that's walking distance from here. It's a private  
school, so there will hopefully be less of a bullying issue," Sherlock  
said, "I'll pick up the enrollment forms. It's an excellent school."

"Thank you Sherlock, that's very kind of you." Katie said,  
gratefully.

To Sherlock, John asked, "What will she do until her enrollment goes  
thorough?"

"Oh I don't know, John. Do teenage things." Sherlock said, slightly  
exasperated. It annoyed him when John asked stupid questions.

"I have a question." Katie said, looking at John.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Am I going to sleep on the couch for the next two years?"

"Of course not. We'll work something out with Mrs. Hudson." Katie  
smiled, glad to have that issue resolved. She was so happy. She hadn't  
considered the possibility that John would actually take custody of her, and  
now that they were planning her sleeping arrangements and school enrollment,  
the reality of her new life had finally dawned on Katie. When she first found  
out about their plan to officially adopt her, Katie had of course been thrilled.  
But now the custody papers were signed, and everything seemed to be much more  
real to Katie.

John turned on the television, and flipped through the channels until he found  
a channel showing Joss Whedon's past work. 'Firefly' was being shown, and Katie's  
face lit up when it came on.

"Oh, I love this one! The crew go to Jaynestown and find out that Jayne is  
considered a hero to the townspeople!"

"That should keep her occupied for a while." John said to Sherlock,  
"She loved this when she was younger." Sherlock smiled, remembering  
watching the series when it came out.

Katie watched the program until it was over, and then picked a book off the  
shelf, "May I read this, Sherlock?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. I just didn't want to take it if you didn't want me to."

"You may read anything you find." Sherlock said.

"Cool." Katie sprawled out on the couch, and began reading. Sherlock  
watched her, wondering why she was turning the pages so quickly. He had always  
been rather fond of that particular book, and was slightly annoyed that Katie  
wasn't taking the time to actually read it.

"It helps if you actually READ, instead of flipping the page every  
minute." Sherlock said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I am reading. I just read quickly I suppose."

"No way you read that quickly."

"Yes way. I was a college level reader by the time I was eight. I'm  
sixteen now, so... yes. I read very quickly." Katie went back to reading  
the book, flipping the pages every few seconds. Sherlock watched, impressed  
with the girl's reading ability. He hadn't pictured her as such an advanced  
reader, and found the truth to be a pleasant surprise.

For the rest of the day, Katie blazed through Sherlock's book collection. Soon,  
she found the discarded mountain of books from when Sherlock was looking for  
the correct book used in the code of the Black Lotus. He was glad now that he  
hadn't donated all the books, as Katie's face had lit up when she found the  
treasure. John was talking to Mrs. Hudson about Katie's living situation, and  
considered moving all the junk out of the back room and converting it into a  
bedroom. It would save him the cost of another bedroom, and he could probably  
sell some of the stuff back there. None of it was kept for any reason, and it  
was stored in there solely because no one wanted to take the time to get  
rid of it. Sherlock used his free day to look for cases in the news, his  
attention caught by a possible serial killer. He talked to Katie about it,  
mostly just because she was there. She paid him very little attention, but said  
enough to keep Sherlock talking.

**Sooooo... that's the main conflict out of the way. There's more to this story, but I just want to see whether or not I should bother posting it. Would anyone be interested? Little bit of drama, but it's mostly fluff. Anyway, if you think I should (or shouldn't) post more, please feel free to let me know! **


	10. Red Nail Polish pt 1

Several days later, Katie had read all of Sherlock's books at least  
twice. She had too much energy to watch the telly, and didn't know the area  
well enough to go out and exercise. She was dying of boredom, and didn't keep  
quiet about it. John was trying to enroll her to Edwards Private Academy, and  
it was taking him a lot of time. She would be starting in the middle of the  
year, so there was a lot of paperwork that would otherwise have been filled out  
at the beginning of the semester. Sherlock had found a case, and went out of  
the flat often to investigate. Katie made up games in order to entertain  
herself. She would slide down the stair banister as fast as possible, shuffled  
up books and would alphabetize them based on title and author, organized the  
back room, and spun in circles until she fell over. She tried her hardest  
not to bother John, but it was hard to stay quiet. The next morning, John still  
had a lot of paperwork to fill out. Sherlock had finished up his previous case,  
and had just received a call about a serial killer killing another person.  
Katie was getting ready to beat her record for banister sliding, and John was  
dreading another day of dealing with her.

"John," Sherlock said, getting ready to leave, "can you come  
with me to the crime scene? I need someone to talk to."

"I can't, Sherlock. I have too much paperwork to do," John responded,  
"I'm the only one who can do this, since my name is on her custody  
papers."

"But John!" Sherlock protested, "I need your opinion on the  
victim!"

"Sherlock, I'd love to. But if Katie is going to start at Edwards on  
Monday, I need to get all this finished."

"Sherlock," Katie pleaded, "can I come? I'll be out of this  
dreadful flat, no offense, I'll be out of John's hair, and you'll have someone  
to talk to."

"Katie, I don't think-" Sherlock argued.

"I won't get in the way, I promise! I can't spend another day cooped up in  
here. I'll go crazy."

John interjected, "Please, Sherlock. I can't stand another day with her  
acting like this."

Sherlock paused, thinking, "Fine. Just this once. But if you get in the  
way, I'll have to bring you back here."

"Thanks Sherlock! I'll go get my coat." Katie ran into the back room,  
where a mattress and a folding table had become her bedroom until the room  
could be emptied and made into a bedroom.

"Thank you, Sherlock." John said, relieved.

"If your sister gets me kicked out of the crime scene, I'm going to be  
very upset." Sherlock said, putting on his scarf. Katie ran back into the  
living room, and then bolted out the stairs and onto the street.

"Come on, Sherlock!" she yelled, "Let's go catch a killer!"  
Sherlock sighed, and followed Katie outside. He hailed a taxi, and they both  
got inside quickly. He told the driver the address of the crime scene, and sat  
back in the seat. Sherlock turned to look at Katie, who was looking out the  
window with an expression of unabashed amazement.

When they arrived at the scene, Katie jumped out of the car while Sherlock  
paid. She went up to the crime scene, which was an small house.  
The police saw Katie, and watched her approach with confusion. Their confusion  
heightened when they saw Sherlock follow her up the driveway.

"Sherlock," Lestrard said, stepping in their way, "what is Katie  
doing here?"

"I need someone to talk to, and John can't come. Katie has been driving  
him mad, and I won't let her mess anything up. Just let us in."

"Alright. But don't touch anything!" Lestrard said, addressing Katie.

"Of course I won't. I'm not THAT stupid." Katie replied, not hiding  
her annoyance.

Lestrard sighed, and lifted the tape, "The brother found the body. He's  
visiting his sister from out of town to introduce her to his new girlfriend.  
Came back from the movies with his girl and found his sister dead. They're both  
over there." he said, pointing out two people being questioned by the  
police. They were both obviously distressed, and Sherlock approached them with  
Katie right behind him.

"Does their alibi check out?" Sherlock asked.

"Yup. Went and saw the new Hobbit movie."

"Alright. I'll look in the house in a minute."

"Take your time." Lestrard said, with a smile, as he walked away.

Addressing the officer questioning the couple, Sherlock said, "Go away. I  
need to talk to these two." the officer nodded, and went away without  
argument, "So, what happened? Don't be boring."

"Well," the man began, "me and my girlfriend just got here  
yesterday from out of town, and we decided to go see a movie. When we got back  
here, I found my sister at the base of the stairs. I think it was a burglar. A  
bunch of her jewelry was taken, and the house was a disaster." the man  
choked back tears, and hugged his companion to him. The woman was much shorter  
than him, and had her arm around him in an attempt to comfort him.

"I wouldn't be here if it was a robbery," Sherlock said, unaffected  
by the man's emotions, "was there anyone who had anything against your  
sister? Someone who might have had access to your sister's house?"

"Vanessa had just broken up with her boyfriend a few days ago. Phil had  
some serious alcohol problems, and he got real violent when he got drunk. He  
has a key, and I doubt she got it back from him. Honestly, I think she was too  
scared to make him give it back. She told me she was just going to replace the  
locks. Do you think maybe he did this?"

"Possibly." then, to Katie, "Get his phone number. I may need to  
ask him more questions later. Also, get the ex-boyfriends address. Meet me  
inside."


	11. Red Nail Polish pt 2

"Okay." Katie said, taking a pad of paper and a pen out of her  
coat pocket. She had come prepared. Sherlock turned and walked into the house,  
leaving Katie with the man and his girlfriend. As he walked into the house, a  
police officer pointed him out to the body, and then left him to do his  
work. The woman was barefoot, and both her hands and toes had red-painted  
nails. Her hair wasn't styled, and she was dressed relatively casually.  
Sherlock looked at the woman, and thought about the possibilities. There had  
been a serial killer who painted his victims nails red, and it was assumed by  
all the police that this was another one of his victims. He looted the houses  
of those he killed, and this did not appear to be a woman who would keep her  
nails painted. It did seem like he had struck again. Katie came into the room,  
and stood quietly while Sherlock worked.

"What do you think?" Sherlock asked.

"You want my opinion?"

"That is what I was implying. You read my website. Let us see what you've  
learned."

"Alright, I'll give it a go." Katie said, kneeling next to the body,  
"Death by blunt force trauma, probably from falling down the stairs. It  
does seem to be that killer who paints his victim's nails red after the hit.  
They are well painted, and there was clearly stuff taken from the house."  
Sherlock rolled his eyes, somewhat disappointed with her deduction, "but,  
it isn't him."

Sherlock smiled, suddenly pleased, "How do we know?"

"Well," Katie said, "I looked at police reports of the previous  
murders. I wanted to be prepared just in case I got to tag along. The previous  
victims all had the same shade used on their nails. This is red, but totally  
the wrong shade of it. If the killer wanted to be known for this, he wouldn't  
suddenly change the shade. He's been very consistent so far."

"And?" Sherlock said. He was impressed, doubting John would have been  
so well prepared.

"Someone wants us to think it was the killer, hoping to throw suspicion  
off themselves."

"Very good. Now, let's go look in the bedroom. There may be something to  
see there." Katie followed Sherlock up the stairs, and into the woman's  
bedroom. As they walked, Sherlock thought about how well Katie had done. Most  
people got squeamish around their first dead body, and it was a nice surprise  
that Katie had stayed calm and collected. When they entered the bedroom,  
Sherlock quickly surveyed the room. There was lots of clothing on the floor,  
tossed out of the dresser. On the dresser there was a jewelry box, which was  
open. Sherlock went up to it, thinking about the brother's distress regarding  
the stolen items. The box was empty, but Sherlock found a ring in one of the  
compartments. The ring was obviously old and not worn very much. It didn't look  
like a wedding ring, and there hadn't been a tan line on the woman's finger.  
So, it was a gift that the woman didn't want to put at risk of being lost. A  
close relative was the obvious choice, who was most likely deceased. While the  
ring was old, it seemed like it was valuable. Any robber worth their salt would  
have taken it. It didn't look like the perp hadn't noticed the compartment, as  
there were indents in the compartment lining where there had been jewelry very  
recently. So, the burglar didn't want to take the ring. But why?

"What do you think about this ring, Katie?" Sherlock asked.

"It's nice. Old, and not worn often. There was a picture in the hall of an  
older woman wearing that ring. There were two other women in the picture with  
her. One was the victim, the other looked like she was the right age to be her  
mother. So, I'd say a deceased grandmother owned it, and passed it on before  
death." Katie replied, examining the ring.

"Well done. Very well done."

"Your website was very informative. I bet anyone who reads it would be  
able to come to that conclusion." Katie said, brushing off the compliment.  
She was trying to stay cool, but it was obvious to Sherlock that she was proud  
of herself, and appreciated the praise. Katie wasn't someone who received  
compliments very often, and getting one from her brother's best friend clearly  
meant a lot to her.

"I don't think there's anything else notable in here," Sherlock said,  
"let's go check out the ex-boyfriend." Sherlock left the room, and  
Katie followed him. When they left, not much had changed. There were still  
police buzzing around the house like flies, and no one got in Sherlock's way as  
he left the house.

"Oi, Sherlock!" Lestrard yelled from across the property.

Sherlock turned, and went over to him, "What is it?"

"We found something while you were inside." Lestrard said, pointing  
to the side door of the house. Police were taping off the path leading to the  
door, and Sherlock went as close as he could. Large footprints, made by rain  
boots were in the mud. It had rained the previous night, and the foot prints  
were well defined in the mud. The prints were obviously made recently, and they  
were obviously made by male shoes.

"The killer?" Katie asked.

"Maybe," Lestrard answered, "they lead up to the street, and  
then disappear at the pavement. Probably where they got in a car.

"I need to think." Sherlock said, moving his hand in a dismissive  
fashion, "Katie stay, everyone else go."

"But Sherlock-" Lestrard argued, but stopped when Sherlock glared at  
him angrily, "Alright, fine. I'll give you five minutes, and that's  
it!"

"That's all I need." Sherlock said, looking at the boot prints.  
Everyone except Katie left, getting the paperwork filled and organizing  
themselves.

"Got anything?" Sherlock asked Katie.

"Nothing helpful." she replied.

"Well alright then." Sherlock said, "I deduce better when I  
talk. You should know that if you're going to be around me."

"Thanks for the heads up." Katie said, already being ignored by the  
detective. He talked under his breath, walking the length of the tape. He would  
have liked to get a better look, but the prints could easily be destroyed. In  
only two minutes, Sherlock had a good idea about the identity of the murderer.  
But, he had enough experience with normal people to know they would need more  
substantial evidence.

"Alright, let's go talk to the ex." Sherlock said, leaving the  
footprints.

"Those could be his boot prints. Do you think he did it?"

Sherlock didn't respond, walking to the road. He waved at Lestrard, making it  
clear the police were allowed to look at the prints.

"I doubt there will be any taxis around. I heard someone saying something  
about blocking off this road, to keep the press away until they remove the  
body." Katie said, quietly. She was trying to speak only when Sherlock  
wanted her too, so he wouldn't make her return to Baker Street.

"You're right. We'll walk past the road block and catch a cab there."  
Sherlock said. They walked down the street, until they passed the road block.  
There were reporters trying to negotiate past the posted officers, but none  
were gaining entrance. Katie stayed behind Sherlock, and he moved quickly  
though the crowds. Just before Sherlock could escape the crowds entirely, a  
reporter stepped in his way.

"Mr. Holmes," the young woman said, "can you tell us anything  
about the dead woman? Or perhaps her murderer?"

"No, I can't." Sherlock pushed past her, taking hold of Katie's wrist  
so she wouldn't get separated. Sherlock walked faster, and turned the corner so  
no more reporters would attempt to pursue him, "You alright?" He  
asked Katie, letting go of her wrist.

"Yes, I'm fine." Katie responded. Sherlock nodded and waited silently  
until a cab approached and proceeded to hail it. Katie told the cabbie the  
address she had received from the couple. The cabbie nodded and drove past the  
news vans parked on the street. Neither Sherlock or Katie spoke during the  
drive. Sherlock was deep in thought, and Katie didn't want to disturb him. From  
what she could tell, Sherlock wasn't regretting bringing her along. Katie  
thought she had done well, and hoped Sherlock believed the same.

When they arrived at the address, Sherlock and Katie found themselves at an  
apartment complex. Katie had the apartment number, and they made their way to  
it. When they got there, the two saw a pair of rain boots and a mat in front of  
the door.

"Are those..." Katie said, not finishing her sentence.

"The same size shoes as the prints on the scene? Yes." Katie's eyes  
widened, and stepped back a little from the door. Sherlock knocked without  
hesitation, and heard a man's voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm comin!" A moment later, the door opened. The man wasn't as tall  
as Sherlock, but taller than Katie. He had scruff from a day of not shaving. He  
had dark circles under his eyes, and he smelled like alcohol.

"I'm Sherlock Holmes, and-" Sherlock started.

"I don't want to buy anything." the man said, gruffly.

"I don't want to sell anything to you. You see-"

"I don't want to convert my religion, either" he said, interrupting  
Sherlock.

"I'm with the police." Sherlock said, obviously annoyed.

"What do you want?"

"Are you Phil?" Katie inquired

"What's it to ya?"

"Where were you last night?"

"Well, I wish I knew. I was so drunk, I have no clue where I was."  
Katie looked at Sherlock, wide-eyed.

"Don't lie to me-" Sherlock said, stepping towards him. Katie stopped  
him, stepping in his way.

"Where do you last remember being?" Katie asked.

"My usual pub. I remember drinkin for a while, then I'm pretty sure they  
kicked me out at some point. That's all I got." he said, shrugging.


	12. Red Nail Polish pt 3

"Where is your usual pub?" Sherlock asked.

"A block and a half that way." Phil replied, pointing down the  
street. Sherlock nodded and pulled out his phone. Katie paused, and watched him  
for a moment. As far as she could tell, Sherlock was texting. Wow.

"When did you last speak to your ex-girlfriend, Vanessa?" Katie  
asked.

"Earlier this week. That's when she broke up with me. Why? Did something  
happen to her?"

Before Katie could break the news to him, Sherlock interrupted, " That  
will be all." and he steered Katie away from the door. The two went back  
to the street, and Sherlock quickly started walking in the direction Phil had  
pointed. Katie followed without argument, and Sherlock was silent the entire  
time. A block and a half later, Sherlock and Katie had found themselves  
standing in front of what the smell alone could have identified as a bar. The  
place smelled heavily of beer, and Katie wrinkled her nose at it.

"Will I even be allowed in there?" Katie asked.

"I doubt it. Stay out here, I'll be back in a moment." Sherlock  
replied, already going inside the building. Katie watched him disappear into  
the bar, and leaned against a fire hydrant. She was grateful that Sherlock had  
allowed her to come with him, but she wished she could have gone with him  
inside. The building stank of alcohol, and it wasn't exactly nice to look at.  
But, Katie didn't feel like she was of any use. She hoped to be more helpful  
later, but Katie doubted she would be able to do anything John, or Sherlock,  
couldn't do just fine without her.

What seemed like a lifetime later, Sherlock emerged from the building. Without  
saying anything to Katie, he started walking down the street.

"Does his alibi check out?" Katie asked him.

"He wasn't lying, but he left before the time of death. Apparently he had  
been whining about his breakup all night, and went off to buy more liquor after  
they kicked him out."

"So we're going to the liquor store?"

"Exactly." Sherlock walked briskly, with Katie close on his heels. He  
didn't talk, which made Katie kind of concerned. He had told her he thought out  
loud, which meant he either wasn't thinking, or didn't want to share his  
thoughts with her. The latter seemed significantly more likely, but Katie could  
imagine that he wasn't thinking too much. It was obvious to her that the ex-boyfriend  
was the murderer, as he was very drunk the previous night, and he didn't seem  
to remember where he had been. If she could figure it out so easily, there was  
no doubt Sherlock knew.

About twenty minutes later, they had arrived at the liquor store. It was much  
nicer than the bar, but it still smelled strongly of alcohol. It was cleaner,  
and didn't stink quite as bad as the bar. When Katie looked up at Sherlock, he  
nodded towards the store and she followed him inside. There was a sign saying  
minors were allowed inside, but weren't allowed to handle the alcohol.

Sherlock went to one of the cashiers, and pulled out his phone.

'Is he really going to start texting again?' Katie wondered.

"Have you seen this man in the last twelve hours?" Sherlock asked,  
turning his phone to show the cashier a picture of Phil on his phone.

'Oh... So he wasn't texting after all.' Katie thought.

"Here?" the cashier asked.

"Of course." Sherlock replied, obviously bored with the man.

"Yeah. Last night. Bought a big bottle of rum and went back home. He's a  
regular, and I know about his drinking issues, so I wouldn't sell it to him  
unless he handed over his car keys," the man held up a pair of keys,  
"I still have them. Did something happen to him?"

"He walked home?" Sherlock asked.

"If you can call it that. He could barely stand up without falling over. I  
watched him to make sure he would get home alright. Took him nearly twenty  
minutes just to get off this block."

Katie turned to Sherlock, and whispered, "There's no way he got to  
Vanessa's house. Plus, he was probably too drunk to paint her nails as cleanly  
as they were."

"Did Phil do something?" the cashier asked, obviously concerned.

"No. He didn't do anything out of the ordinary." Sherlock said over  
his shoulder as he left the store.

"Thank you for your time." Katie said hurriedly, running after  
Sherlock. He was pacing on the street when Katie caught up with him.

"It wasn't him!" Katie said.

"Of course it wasn't him" Sherlock said dismissively.

"Did you already know?"

"Naturally."

"Why did we waste out time here, then?"

"If you didn't believe me, you wouldn't help me."

"Help you?" Katie asked, becoming excited.

"Yes. Call the brother. Get his hotel address. I have some questions for  
him." Katie nodded, and pulled out the phone John had bought her. While  
Katie called Vanessa's brother, Sherlock went on his phone and looked a few  
things up on the Internet. A few minutes later, Katie hung up and put the phone  
back on her pocket.

"21096 Pine Way, room 516." She told him. Sherlock nodded, and hailed a cab. They got in, and Sherlock told the driver the address. They rode in silence, Katie trying to figure out how Sherlock knew the ex-boyfriend was innocent. She wanted to have an idea before asking him, but didn't have any realistic theories so far. When they reached the address, they found themselves in front of a large hotel. It was much nicer than Katie expected, and she realized the brother must have more money than she realized. Sherlock led the way inside, and stepped into the elevator.

"The first number is the floor number," Sherlock explained, pressing  
the '5' button on the elevator panel. Katie nodded, and leaned against the  
elevator wall. The elevator moved quickly, and they were at the fifth  
floor in only a few moments. The doors opened, and Sherlock went into the hall  
without hesitation. Before knocking on the room door, Sherlock turned to Katie.

"Ask them both questions. Keep them occupied until I say so."

"What should I ask?"

"Anything. Anything at all. Just keep them BOTH focused on you. No matter  
what, understand?"

"Yes Sherlock."

"Good." Sherlock turned back to the door, and knocked. The brother  
opened the door, and smiled upon seeing the detective.

"Hello Mr. Holmes. Can I help you?"

"I have some questions for you."

"Come on in." he said, opening the door wider. Sherlock walked in and  
didn't sit down. The room was well furnished, and the woman from earlier came  
through the hall.

"What's going on, Sam?" she asked.

"It's nothing sweetie. They just want to ask me a few questions."

"Actually," Katie said, "I have questions for both of you."  
Sherlock nodded, and stepped back.

"Alright." Sam's girlfriend said, not hiding her annoyance. She sat  
down on the couch, and Sam sat down next to her.

"It's nice to meet you," Sherlock said, completely out of character,  
sticking his hand out to shake her hand, "I'm Sherlock Holmes"

The woman shook his hand, with a bored look on her face, "pleasure."

"May I use your facilities?" Sherlock asked, feigning innocence.

"Of course!" Sam said, pointing down the hall and grinning,  
"Just that way."

Sherlock smiled, "Thank you." and disappeared down the hall.

"So," Sam said, "what can we help you with?"

"Well," Katie said, "How close were you to your sister?"

"Real close," Sam said, "Me and Vanessa grew up together."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Katie sympathized.

"Thank you." Sam replied, his smile fading, "This is Nina, by  
the way."

"Oh, hello Nina. Tell me, was this the first time you were going to meet  
Vanessa?"

"Yes," Nina said, "I don't get a lot of time off, so this was  
the first time I would get a chance to get away."

"What do you do?"

"I'm an experimental physicist."

"Whoa. That's very impressive."

"I know." Katie tried not to look confused by her response.

Then, to Sam, she asked, "and what do you do?"

"I drive the Zamboni at the ice arena." Sam replied, his smile  
returning, "My girlfriend is so smart. Went to college and everything. I  
dropped out of high school in my junior year. But I love the ice arena. We  
don't get much snow in Arizona."

"That's in the United States, right?"

"Of course it's in the US." Nina snarled. Katie tried to smile, but  
felt kind of awkward.

"So you two went and saw a movie yesterday night, right?" Katie  
asked, changing the subject.

"Yup," Sam said, "the first Hobbit movie."

"He can't wait for the second one." Nina said.

"Of course I can't wait! Benedict Cumberbatch is voicing Smaug! It's gonna  
be great!"

"Bonkyhort Cookie-crunch?" Katie asked.

"No, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH." Sam corrected.

"Boston Brew Coin-stash?"

"Never mind." Nina said. Just then, Sherlock reappeared in the  
doorway.

"Katie," he said, already walking towards the door, "let's  
go."

"Thank you for your time." Katie said, following Sherlock. He opened  
the door, and exited out into the hallway. Sherlock closed the door before  
either Sam or Nina could respond, and he led Katie to the elevator.

"We're going to the theater." Sherlock said, before Katie could ask.

"What did you do?" Katie asked on their way out onto the street.

"Found these." Sherlock said, pulling out two ticket stubs. The  
tickets were for the Hobbit movie the previous night, and the time it started  
was before the time of death.

"So if it wasn't them, who killed her? Maybe it really was a burglary, and  
they wanted to make it seem like the serial killer."

"That's a possibility, but there are a few things I need to check with  
before making any conclusions." Katie nodded in agreement, and stood next  
to Sherlock on the curb. They caught a cab, and rode to the theater.  
Sherlock went to the ticket counter, which was staffed by a teenage boy. He  
looked tired and bored, and Katie hoped he would cooperate.

"Who was working last night at about seven?" He asked the boy.

"Me." The teenager responded.

"Do you recognize this man?" Sherlock asked, holding up his phone to  
show a picture of Sam, "He would have been here to see the Hobbit with his  
girlfriend."

"Nah, I don't recognize him."

Katie piped up, pulling her phone out, "what about her?" Katie had  
taken a picture of Nina before going inside the crime scene.

"Yeah, she was here. Was in a real rush too. Came here at about  
eight-fifteen, wanting to get tickets for that Hobbit movie."

"That movie started at seven forty-five" Sherlock said, pulling out  
the ticket stubs.

"That's what I told her," the boy said, shrugging, "but she  
didn't care. There was even another screen showing it in ten minutes, but she  
wanted the one that had already started."

"That's weird" Katie said.

"I'll say. She was obviously in a rush, and wouldn't let me throw her  
ticket stubs away. Got all defensive."

Sherlock leaned over to Katie and whispered, "I found those stubs on the  
dressing table. You could hear what was going on in the living room  
perfectly."

"So?" Katie asked.

"You could hear if a detective came inside. If you had a suspicion that  
said detective might take a look around, wouldn't you want to put evidence of  
your whereabouts in plain sight?"

"What's going on?" The teenager asked.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Sherlock said, turning away. Katie  
shrugged apologetically, and followed him.

"So, what?" Katie asked, "What do you think?"

"It was both of them. Well, the brother killed her, and girlfriend covered  
it up."

"How do you know?"

"Not important. I'll have to explain to the police later, you should  
listen then. I don't like to repeat myself."

"Okay... How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning."

"The beginning?" Katie asked, confused, "so when we looked at  
the body?"

"No," Sherlock responded, "much before that. I'll explain  
later." Sherlock pulled his phone out of his pocket, and texted Lestrard,  
'brother and girlfriend guilty of murder/accessory/obstruction of justice.  
Arrest quickly, before they run. SH'

A few hours later, Sam and Nina had been arrested. Sherlock hadn't yet  
explained how he knew they were guilty, but Lestrard was waiting patiently for  
his explanation, and a few officers were waiting less patiently. It was getting  
dark, and Sherlock knew he would have to return Katie to Baker Street soon. As  
far as he knew, she hadn't eaten, and John would be annoyed if he let his  
little sister starve.

"Alright, Freak." Sally said, "Explain."

"If you're wrong, I am NOT doing that paperwork." Anderson said.

"You won't have to do any paperwork, Anderson." Katie said  
defensively, "Sherlock is never wrong. Honestly, are you always this  
dimwitted?" Everyone stopped talking, and stared at Katie, surprised at  
her defensive response to Anderson's insult, "I mean, honestly. Have you  
learned nothing?" Sherlock smiled, and stood up. They were in Lestrard's  
office, and it was a bit cramped. Nevertheless, Sherlock paced from his  
original chair to the door and back.

"It was obvious that it was not the nail polish killer. Wrong shade of  
red." Katie smiled as Sherlock began his explanation. "Also, all the  
woman's jewelry was stolen, all except an old ring. A grandmothers ring, passed  
to her granddaughter. The ring was old, but could have been sold for a high  
price. So, why not take it? The killer was not a burglar. The killer dumped the  
jewelry, but didn't want to dump an old ring. They had some sort of attachment  
to it, despite it not being theirs. So, the original owner was a family member  
of whoever emptied the jewelry box. This gives us the brother, most likely, but  
why his girlfriend? She is too small to push the victim down the stairs, but  
she's smart. Her boyfriend killed his sister in a fit of rage, and she cleaned  
it up. She sent him to make it look like a robbery while she painted the  
woman's nails. She knew we wouldn't be fooled by the nails for long, so she  
pinned it on the ex-boyfriend, Phil. He had only recently been broken up with,  
so his boots were still in the house. Nina took the boots and walked in the  
mud, just until hitting the sidewalk. She took them and put them in their car.  
They dropped the boots off at their owner's apartment, to put more evidence  
against him. It couldn't have been him though, because the prints weren't deep  
enough to be his. His shoes, different feet. Also, he was much too drunk to  
paint those nails. Plus, his ex-girlfriend's house was too far for him to walk,  
even if he were sober. He was mind-numbingly drunk, and couldn't walk have a  
block in the time it takes a car to travel ten. So that eliminates him. When we  
went to the boyfriend's hotel room, I found ticket stubs for the new Hobbit  
movie. They bought tickets to see a movie that had been playing for half an  
hour, so they would have a stable alibi. Can't kill if you're watching a movie.  
Also, I shook her hand. Her fingers stunk of nail polish remover. There were  
remnants of red polish on her right thumb, the same shade as the victim's  
nails. She used polish she already owned, and was wearing. Then took it off  
once she painted a dead woman's fingers and toes with it. While she did this,  
the brother messed up the house, so she didn't realize he had left the ring  
behind."

"Whoa..." Katie said, after Sherlock stopped talking. No one else  
seemed impressed, if not annoyed. Katie was smiling, and she was clearly amazed  
by the detective.

"Show off..." Sally said, leaving the office before Katie could yell  
at her.

"Wait, you said you knew it was them from the beginning. How?" Katie  
asked.

"Simple. You, Lestrard, told me they went to see a movie the night they  
arrived. Sam brought his girlfriend solely to introduce her, yet he went to a  
movie with his girlfriend without his sister? Doesn't that defeat the purpose  
of the trip?" Sherlock responded, Katie's smile growing wider.

"That's amazing, Sherlock." Katie said.

"That's what John said" Sherlock commented.

"Well he was right. That was fantastic."


	13. Getting Ready for School

That night, Katie narrated the day's events to John and Mrs. Hudson, who  
were listening closely. John was mostly glad Katie had been able to go outside,  
and Mrs. Hudson was still impressed with Sherlock's deductive abilities.

"And it turned out he had known it was them all along!" Katie said  
with excitement.

"How did he manage that?" Mrs. Hudson asked.

"Because they went to see the movie when they first arrived, instead of  
being with the sister!" Katie responded enthusiastically.

"Brilliant!" Mrs. Hudson said with a laugh.

"I'm glad you had a good time, Katie." John said.

"Did you get all your paperwork done?" Sherlock asked.

"Yup. Katie can start at Edwards this coming Monday." John replied.

"Good." Sherlock nodded and turned on the telly.

Katie hugged John, and said, "Thank you for letting me go to that school.  
I'll pay you back as soon as I get a job."

"Nonsense," John said, "I'm your brother. It's my job to put you  
through school"

"And you can forget that job talk," Mrs. Hudson said, "your job  
is to focus on your schoolwork."

"That's right, Katie" John agreed.

Katie rolled her eyes and sighed, saying, "Alright, alright. So, I start  
on Monday. Today is Thursday, so I have the weekend to get ready. Do I have  
everything I need? What standards do I need to be up to?"

"We'll go shopping tomorrow," John said, "and believe me, you're  
up to standards. If you were any older, you would be in your sophomore year.  
Your age is the only thing keeping you in junior year." Katie smiled as  
John mock punched her in the arm, "Nerd. Too smart for your own good,  
that's what I say."

"Thanks John. That means a lot."

"You bet kid. And if anyone at that school gives you trouble, you let me  
know, okay? Cause I'll go army doctor on them."

"Will do" Katie said with a laugh.

"And Sherlock will back me up, won't you?"

"Sure. I'll go all 'consulting detective' on them." Sherlock said,  
making quotations around his work title with his hands. Katie giggled, and got  
up from the couch.

"Alright, I'm gonna go to bed. Sleep well!" She said, going into the  
hall. The sound of her door closing could be heard from the living room, and  
everyone let out a small sigh, as if they had been holding their breath.

"She's going to be eaten alive at that school," Mrs. Hudson said  
sadly, "she's way too smart. "

"You're right. I don't know how she'll act around kids her own age, and if  
she'll hide her intelligence." John agreed.

"Why should she?" Sherlock asked, "She's smart. Let her show it  
off."

"We're you smart for your age?" John asked with skepticism.

"Of course."

"Didn't you get treated like crap for it?"

"Every day."

"Do you really want Katie to have to suffer the same way?"

Sherlock paused for a moment, contemplating, "We'll have to get her new  
clothes. Everyone at that academy comes from rich families, and she looks poor  
in those clothes."

"She IS poor, Sherlock." John said.

"Yes, but we aren't. If we can pay for that school, we can pay for clothes  
that will fool the other children. At least they won't have her financial  
standpoint as a weapon."

"And I'll have a talk with her tomorrow." John said, satisfied.

"Do you two really think it's a good idea to make her think she's  
inadequate?" Mrs. Hudson asked, crossing her arms, "Consider how much  
she's been through. If you two make her think she isn't good enough, what  
then?"

John sighed, "You're right, Mrs. Hudson. I'm just worried about her."

"And right you are to worry." Mrs. Hudson said, "but she's your  
sister, and deserves your unabashed approval and affection."

"Alright, I get it. I'll back off the intelligence talk. But she does need  
new clothes."

"Then how about I take her?" Mrs. Hudson suggested.

"That'll work." John said, his smile returning, "What do you  
think Sherlock?"

"Sounds reasonable. But I'm still going to advise her to try to blend in.  
No harm in that" Sherlock said, flipping through channels. Mrs. Hudson  
sighed, and went to her flat for the night. John and Sherlock stayed in the  
living room for a while, before retiring to their rooms.

The next day, Mrs. Hudson and Katie went shopping for clothes. John and  
Sherlock stayed in the flat most of the day, reading or experimenting on severed  
limbs. Mrs. Hudson and Katie stayed out all day, and didn't return until late.  
Apparently after shopping, they had gone to see the new Hobbit movie, and went  
sightseeing. Katie had a better idea of the city, and got a chance to see her  
new school. John was just happy that he was done filling out paperwork, but was  
hoping Sherlock would take it easy on Katie when he spoke with her. Sherlock  
was bored, but not so much as to shoot the wall. John was grateful for this,  
and hoped his new found experiment would last him a few days. The weekend  
passed by, and Katie had her bag packed for school on Monday by Sunday  
afternoon. On Sunday, Mrs. Hudson was out grocery shopping, John was reading a  
new book, and Katie was watching reruns of Doctor Who when Sherlock sat down in  
his chair and silenced the television. When he did, John pretended he was still  
reading, but found himself listening to the conversation with extreme  
intensity.

"Katie," Sherlock began, "I need to speak with you about  
Edwards."

"Alright," Katie said, "what's up?"

"I know you're going to do fabulously at this new school, but I want to be  
sure that I warn you about a few things." When Katie didn't respond,  
Sherlock kept talking, "You are very intelligent. There is no doubt in  
anyone's mind about that. As adults, we respect and admire your intellect, but  
I want to make sure you realize that teenagers-"

"Are heartless bastards as soon as they realize you have a higher IQ than  
most of the teachers? That they are threatened by intelligence and are compelled  
by fear to make themselves appear more adequate in their minds eye? Yes, I  
realize that. I was bullied at my old school because of how smart I am. I'm not  
going to make the same mistake at this new school." Katie said, without  
much expression.

"Well alright then," Sherlock said, rising from his chair, "good  
talk." Katie nodded and turned the telly back on, obviously bored with the  
conversation. Sherlock went into the kitchen, and started fiddling with his  
microscope. John sat, bemused. That had turned out better than he thought.  
Originally, John had thought Katie would be upset. He certainly wasn't  
complaining, as the last thing he wanted to see was an unhappy little sister.  
The rest of the night went smoothly, and Katie went to bed early. John and Sherlock  
followed suit awhile later, wanting to see her off the next morning.


	14. Back to School Day

John awoke to his alarm going off at 6:15. Edwards Private Academy  
started at 7:30, but Katie would have to stop by the office to get her  
schedule, and hoped to get her bearings before classes began. When John went  
into the living room, he found Katie sitting on the couch eating a bagel. Her  
bag was by the door, ready for her to grab as soon as she decided to go.  
Sherlock was also eating, as he didn't have any cases lined up for that day.  
They both seemed relatively calm, John thought, but Katie was more likely than  
not to be absolutely terrified. She had always had difficulties meeting new  
people, and her teenage years had brought on serious social anxiety. Her vast  
intelligence made her self-conscious, and not unlike most teenagers,  
wasn't confident in herself. At 6:30, Katie stood and picked up her bag.

"Well," she said, "I'll see you when I get home."

John hugged her reassuringly, "You're gonna be great."

"Thanks John" Katie said, smiling, "Can I borrow cab fare? I  
want to be nice and early."

"Sure thing kid." John said, reaching for his wallet. He gave her the  
fare, and Katie hurried out the door.

Katie arrived at the school not ten minutes later. Not many kids had arrived  
yet, so Katie wasn't too embarrassed about arriving by cab. She hurried to the  
front office, which was easy to see from the street. She hurried there, and  
found it open.

"Good morning," the secretary said, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Katie said, approaching her desk, "I'm Katie Watson. I'm  
new, and I was told I could get my time table here, so..."

"Of course!" The secretary replied, looking to her computer,  
"I'll print that out real quick for you, dear"

"Thank you very much" Katie said, grateful for the woman's  
friendliness.

"Here you are," the woman said, "if you get lost, just ask for  
directions from any of the staff. They'll help you."

"Thanks!" Katie said, leaving the office. It was cold out, as it was  
winter. Kati was wearing her usual brown leather jacket, jeans, and t-shirt.  
She had bought new converse while shopping with Mrs. Hudson, so her socks  
weren't visible. Her hair was tied back, and hidden under the collar of  
her jacket. She was going to get a haircut soon, as long orange hair tended to  
attract more attention than Katie was comfortable with. The school building was  
locked, so Katie decided to wait by the doors so she could get inside quickly  
when they were unlocked. From her vantage point she could watch the arriving  
kids, without being the center of attention. It was a small school, and Katie  
hoped she wouldn't it wouldn't be really obvious that she was new. At seven, a  
teacher unlocked the doors and Katie headed inside. Her first class was  
Advanced Literature, and it was on the second floor of the building. Katie  
found the stairs, and quickly climbed up. The halls were well lit with tile  
flooring, and Katie found that the building was easy to find ones way through.  
She found her class, and decided to wait in the hall until class started. She  
sat down, and pulled out her new book from her bag. The book was almost nine  
hundred pages long, and took up most of her lap. Not only was it long, but it  
was also in Mandarin Chinese. Katie had gotten bored over the weekend, and had  
taught herself a seventh language. Besides English, Katie could speak fluent  
Spanish, French, Latin, Sign, Dutch, German, and most recently, Mandarin  
Chinese. The half hour passed quickly, and the hall filled up with teenagers  
waiting for class to start. Katie had her time table tucked in her book, and no  
one paid her much attention. When the first bell rang, Katie quickly ducked  
into the classroom, not wanting to be trampled. The classroom was setup so  
there were four rows of desks, five desks per row. Katie was surprised by the  
number of desks, as her previous school would have required two times as many.  
The teacher, a man most likely in his early forties with black hair, sat at his  
desk at the front of the room. He didn't look up when the door opened, and  
Katie made her way up to his desks. Other students were already taking their  
seats, sending her glances of interest and curiosity.

"Um... Sir?" Katie asked, feeling awkward.

"Yes?" The teacher asked, looking up at her, "Oh, I'm sorry. You  
must be my new student. Katie Watson, correct?"

"Yes sir." Katie responded.

"Good to have you. I'm Mr. Thatcher. Just wait up here for a minute until  
everyone gets here, and we'll get you a seat."

"Thank you sir." Katie said, stepping away from his desk. She felt  
weird standing at the front of the room, and more teenagers were directing  
their attention to her. They all quickly filled in the room, and Katie realized  
only one seat was left. Mr. Thatcher pointed it out to her, and Katie quickly  
sat down. The seat was in the second row, on the far right hand side. No one was  
sitting to her right, and Katie avoided eye contact with the girl sitting next  
to her. This class was supposedly advanced, and Katie hoped she would fit in.

"Alright, everyone. Attention please," Mr. Thatcher began, "we  
have a new student, Katie Holmes. I trust you will all make her feel  
welcome." Katie kept her eyes glued to her desk, hoping she wasn't  
attracting too much attention, "So I trust everyone has started their three  
hundred page books? I know it is a bit more than we usually do, but this is an  
advanced class."

Katie's eyes widened. They were only just starting to read three hundred page books?

"Miss Watson?" Mr. Thatcher said, dragging Katie's attention up to  
the front, "We're reading books. You were recommended for this class, and  
I hope you can keep up. Do you read books relatively often?"

"Yes sir." Katie said.

"Do you have one with you?"

"Yes sir."

"Well how about you get it out, and we can make sure it's long  
enough." Katie nodded, and reached into her bag. With both hands, she  
pulled out the book. In Katie's opinion, it was mind-numbingly short, but the  
sharp intake of breath that was sounded by the class told Katie that she should  
have brought something easier. Mr. Thatcher didn't speak for a moment, but  
eventually said, "That's yours?"

"Yes sir." In the half hour before class, Katie had read a good four  
hundred pages, having slight difficulty with the new language.

"I can't seem to read the title. Is it even in English?"

"No sir. It's in Mandarin."

"Oh... Well you might want to pick something shorter, and in English. I  
don't know how long you've spent reading that, but if you've only gotten as far  
as your book mark, I think you may be reading too slow for the pacing of this  
class..."

"I don't mean to argue sir, but I read this all this morning before class  
started." The class was silent, and even the teacher seemed at a loss for  
words.

"Well carry on, then." the teacher mumbled, continuing with his  
lesson. The rest of the class went slowly, and Katie never seemed to shake the  
stares of the other students. When the class was almost over, Mr. Thatcher  
said, "Miss Watson, please switch with Miss Jones." Katie saw another  
girl down her row stand up and walk towards her, looking almost relieved. Katie quickly grabbed her  
things and moved to the now empty desk. She was now on the far left side, with  
a boy sitting on her right. Katie hoped he wasn't the reason that the girl she had switched seats with had seemed so relieved to move.

Mr. Thatcher started to talk again, and the boy leaned over to Katie and  
whispered, "Isn't this class terribly boring?"

"Extremely." Katie agreed. Glad to have made a positive connection  
with someone. The boy was rather cute, with smooth black hair and a sharp chin.  
He had dark eyes, but seemed friendly enough. He was obviously intelligent, and  
Katie hoped she wasn't the only kid in the class who could actually read.

"So you read Mandarin? That's really cool." the boy said.

"You think so?" Katie asked.

"Totally." Just then, the bell rang, and everyone got ready to go to  
their second class of the day, "So hey," the boy said, "What's  
your next class?"

"Umm..." Katie pulled her time table out of her book and looked at it  
carefully, "math. More specifically, Advanced Application of String  
Theory."

"Isn't that a sophomore class?"

"Is it? Man, I don't want to be in a sophomore class. I'll stick  
out."

"You won't stick out too bad. There's another junior in that class."

"Really?"

"Yup. I hear he's smart and craaaaaaazy good looking"

Katie smiled, "It's you, isn't it?"

"You got that from 'smart' and 'good looking'?" The boy asked,  
smiling back, "smarter than you look. Hey, we can walk there together.  
It's in the other building where most of the upper grade classes are."

"That's really nice, thank you." Katie said gratefully, "I have  
a terrible sense of direction."

"Well then I guess I just won't leave your side." Katie smiled, and  
the two left the classroom. The boy led Katie down the stairs and out the  
building, walking quickly through the cool air. Now that Katie got a better  
look at him, she realized he looked like a celebrity. Someone you'd see on the  
telly. He was a bit taller than Katie, and thin. He was well proportioned, and  
Katie could tell by the looks they received in the hallways that he was a  
boy of interest. While they walked, they compared their schedules and found  
they had most classes together. Katie soon found that he was very smart, and  
didn't make her feel like a giant among insects. Soon the two arrived at the  
class, and Katie left to speak with the teacher. Once again, she was placed in  
the only empty seat, which was next to her new friend. They were the only  
non-sophomores in the class, but Katie didn't feel nearly as intimidated as she  
would have been otherwise. The sophomores were nice enough, but obviously a bit  
jealous when Katie finished the assignment without picking up a calculator.  
Math was slightly less boring than English, but Katie still found it somewhat  
dull. Next the new friends went to science, which was some form of advanced  
study regarding theoretical physics, also a sophomore class. Katie was  
disappointed that she wasn't in sophomore English, but her new friend told her  
they didn't allow juniors to take more than three advanced classes. Science was  
nice, as Katie hadn't explored that branch of science. As most things did, it  
came easily to her, but Katie tried not to show her quick understanding of the  
subject. Katie feigned bemusement, but it was obvious to her companion that she  
understood the subject perfectly. The lunch bell rang, and Katie sat still for  
a moment while the room emptied.

"What's wrong?" Her friend asked.

"It's just... My last school wasn't great for me. Lunch was always the  
worst time."

"We can always just go to the library. It has heat, and won't be too  
crowded. The librarian keeps things pretty quiet, so you wouldn't have too much  
to worry about."

"That would be great, actually."

"Alright, follow me and I'll show you where it is." Katie nodded and  
followed him out of the building and across the grounds. The route they took  
was quiet, and Katie could tell it was probably the most roundabout way her  
guide could think of. The library was a two story brick building, with pale  
glass windows and large double doors. There were boxes around the perimeter  
that would allow for plants, but the cold hadn't allowed for any to grow.

"I bet this is nice in the spring." Katie said, as they entered the  
building.

"It's wonderful. Sometimes they hold classes in temporary outdoor  
classrooms."

"That sounds great," Katie said, as they made their way up the stairs  
to the second floor. It was less crowded up there, and there was a better  
selection of books than downstairs.

"Science and math are over there," he said, pointing out different  
sections to Katie, "Poetry, history, language, and bibliographies. This  
floor in nonfiction. I thought that would be more your speed."

"It is, thanks." The two teens spent the rest of the lunch period  
wandering through the nonfiction section, sometimes sliding books off the  
shelves and looking at them briefly before moving on. Katie hadn't received her  
school ID yet, so she couldn't check anything out. She didn't know why her new  
friend didn't, but she figured it was solely so she wouldn't feel jealous.

The bell rang, and the two rushed off to class. It was Katie's free period, but  
her friend had to go to British History. The two parted ways outside the  
library, and Katie hoped she would be able to find her way without getting  
lost. The classroom was easy to find, and Katie checked in with the teacher.  
Mrs. Miller had straight brown hair, with gray at the roots. She wore  
prescription glasses and a skirt suit, and didn't speak much during the period.  
Katie didn't have any homework for any of her classes so far, so she decided to  
read her book. A few minutes into the period, a wad of paper whizzed  
by Katie's face. She ignored it, and soon another was tossed in her  
direction, and landed on her book. Not wanting to drag too much attention to  
herself, Katie brushed the wad off her desk and onto the floor. Only a minute  
later, a pencil hit Katie in the side of the head.

'Don't turn around,' Katie thought, 'Don't. Turn. Around.' Katie sunk her head  
down closer to her book, and tried to ignore the snickering that had started  
from behind her. The room was setup like her English class, and Katie was in  
the row in front of the back one. It sounded like there were four people, three  
guys, and a girl. They didn't sound familiar to Katie, but it was only fourth  
period. She turned the page, and was met with an onslaught of waded up pieces  
of paper. Katie continued to ignore the attacks, and they seemed to get smaller  
as time went on.

"Hey," a voice hissed from behind Katie, "nerd girl. Turn  
around." Katie remained still, except for turning the page of her book.

"New girl," a different voice whispered, "you can't ignore us  
forever. Turn around!"

"Quiet down!" Mrs. Miller said authoritatively, momentarily quieting  
the group. A few minutes later though, another wad of paper landed in front of  
Katie's face. She could see writing on it, and assumed they were just using old  
notes. Katie brushed the paper off her desk, and turned the page. Immediately,  
another wad was tossed onto her desk. This was loosely balled up, and there was  
clearly writing on it. The writing was in the middle of the page, and obviously  
a message. Katie sighed, and un crumpled the paper.

'Saw you with freak boy at lunch,' was scrawled across the page in red pen,  
'are you a freak too?' Snickering. Katie let out an exasperated sigh, and  
pushed the paper off her desk. The back row was quiet for the rest of the  
class, and Katie practically ran out of the room when the bell rang. She heard  
the chairs in the back row being moved as she fled to the hallway, and hoped  
they wouldn't ambush her on her way to her next class. She reached British  
History, and went to the seat that the teacher pointed out to her. All they did  
was watch a movie about the Crown Jewels, and Katie didn't see the practical  
application of it in real life. The movie was boring, and Katie already knew  
all the information. She had read a book on the jewels a few years ago, and her  
photographic memory made things easy to remember. The class passed by slowly,  
but no one bothered Katie. She heard some whispering in the beginning of class,  
and thought she heard her name. This didn't surprise Katie, since she was new  
to the school. When the class was over, Katie quickly made her way to the third  
story of the juniors building, for the last class of the day. It was her  
elective, and Katie was extremely excited. For her elective, Katie had chosen  
creative writing. Katie loved to read, but she loved writing more.

Unlike her previous classes, this was not set up in rows. This classroom was  
set up so there were two desks facing each other, and those pairs were evenly  
distributed throughout the classroom. Katie stood in the corner while everyone  
took their seat, as she didn't see a teacher who she could ask where she should  
sit. Everyone sat at a desk, and said hello to the person who sat in the desk  
across from them. Then, they pulled a notebook out of their bags and started  
writing. Katie saw her friend from earlier in the day at a desk pair in the  
corner, with no one sitting across from him. Katie tried to get his attention,  
but he was already immersed in his writing. A few minutes after the final bell  
rang, the teacher came into the room. She was young, and looked like she must  
be a very new teacher. She wore a blue sweatshirt and dark jeans, and had her  
blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. When Katie walked up to her, she smiled.

"Hello," she said, "you must be my new student. I'm Ms. Fields.  
Katie, right?"

"Yup, that's me," Katie responded.

"Here, let's talk in the hall," Ms. Fields said, gesturing to the  
door, "I don't want to screw up everyone's creative process." The two  
went out into the hallway outside the classroom, and Ms. Fields leaned against  
the wall, "So, I hear your in three sophomore classes. That's very  
impressive."

"Thank you," Katie responded, "I would have liked to be in  
advanced history and English, but I could only take three advanced  
subjects"

"I heard about that rule. I don't like it one bit." Ms. Fields  
agreed.

"Me neither. I wish I could be in advanced English, at least. They're only  
on three hundred page books. It's horrifically dull."

"That sounds awful," Ms. Fields said, "I'm glad we could talk.  
It helps if I know where you are in your education so I can pair you with the  
right person. We keep the pairs all year, so partners can see each other's  
stories progress."

"That's an excellent strategy." Katie said, nodding.

"I'm glad you think so. I think I know just the kid to pair you  
with," Ms. Fields said, leading Katie back into the classroom. She pointed  
to the desk across Katie's friend, and she made her way over to it. Taking a  
seat, Katie pulled a blank notebook and a pencil out of her bag and started to  
write. Both of them were writing quickly, and turned the pages as if they were  
racing. Katie had known what she was going to write about ever since she had  
chosen the class. For her story, Katie was going to write about John. John, and  
all the things they had done together since Mr. and Mrs. Watson adopted her so  
many years ago. Katie would write each chapter as a short story, starting from when  
she first arrived in London.

'The plane ride was exhausting. I was only seven, and sitting still for that  
long was excruciating. I was tired, and nervous, and a bit scared, too. I had  
never been outside of Ireland, and I was worried my new family wouldn't like  
me. It's hard for a seven year old to be thinking about all the things I was  
thinking about. Four years in an orphanage did a lot of things to me, and I had  
some trust issues. People left the orphanage all the time, and I was never good  
at making friends. So when Mrs. Watson carried me off that plane and I saw my  
new brother for the first time, I was terrified. Terrified that he wouldn't like  
me. Terrified that he wouldn't want to be around me. Terrified that he would  
leave me like everyone else had.

When we were introduced for the very first time, I crawled out of Mrs. Watson's  
arms, and into Johns. He smiled at me when I called him my brother, but then he  
frowned when his parents ignored him. I didn't like it when John frowned. His  
forehead wrinkled and he looked like he was dying on the inside. He smiled when  
I talked to him instead of my new parents. I liked it when John smiled. His  
eyes lit up and he hugged me. After that, John didn't smile much, at least not  
around me. His parents ignored him, and he would frown. He frowned on the way  
to my new home from the airport, and kept frowning until he left for the last  
time. I was the reason John joined the military and went to Afghanistan. I was  
the reason John got shot and had to come back to London.

Now that I've found him again, I like to think that I'm the reason my big  
brother smiles. This morning, he smiled at me when I left to go to school for  
the first time since he took custody of me. I like it when John smiles.'

Katie continued to write for the rest of the period. She wrote about her  
negative experiences with her brother before he left for Afghanistan. She tried  
to make all the stories as short as possible, because she would need a lot of  
room for the stories of when she found him again. When the bell rang, Katie was  
writing about when John left for Afghanistan. She had tried to forget about  
that day over the years, and sadness swept over her with the same force it had  
the day John packed his bag. Katie had only just started, and decided she would  
finish that story at home, where she could cry. You can't cry at school. No one  
forgave you if you cried.

Her friend nodded at her when the bell rang, indicating that they should leave  
as soon as possible. Katie knew why. The kids that had been behind her during  
free period were in the class across the hall, and Katie didn't want to be  
caught by them. They must give him a hard time as well, otherwise he wouldn't be  
so anxious to leave. They rushed out of the class, down the stairs and out of  
the building without anyone getting in their way. While Katie was certainly  
glad the group hasn't stopped them, it made her kind of scared. They should  
have caught them. The fact that they didn't made Katie think they were just  
biding their time. When they got to the front of the school, the friends  
stopped and turned to each other.

"I have to go this way," Katie said, pointing down the street that  
would lead her home.

"I'm going the other way," her friend said, sadly. Neither one of  
them wanted to leave each other's company. Both because they got along, and  
because there was no sign of the group, and it made them both anxious.

"See you tomorrow?" Katie asked.

"Yup. I'm Jimmy, by the way," he said.

"Katie. Nice to meet you Jimmy."

"You too." They both nodded, and turned their opposite ways. Katie  
quickly made her way down the street, wanting to put as much distance between  
herself and the school. It was cold, and Katie sought the heat of 221B. The  
clouds made Katie think it might snow, and she wanted to get home quickly.  
Katie turned a corner, and was pleased to see that the street was free of  
anyone who might want to get in her way.

Katie took a shortcut through an alley, and found herself home faster than she  
anticipated. She unlocked the door with the key John had given her, and locked  
the door behind her once she entered the building. The flat was quiet, and  
Katie made her way back to her room without making much noise. She set all her  
stuff down on the floor next to her bed, and flopped down onto it with a sigh.  
Katie was glad that the day was over. Sure, it had been nice to have made a  
friend, but it was all excruciatingly boring. Even the advanced classes made  
Katie feel like she was about to fall asleep. She could tell that Jimmy was the  
same way. He seemed bored with the curriculum, and Katie would bet money that  
he had a photographic memory too. Katie didn't have any homework, studying, or  
reading to do, since she had finished her book during free period. Katie found  
herself hoping someone might be murdered so she could tag along with Sherlock  
on a case. He had said it was just the one time, but Katie thought she had done  
pretty well for her first time. Maybe, if she was nice to him, Sherlock would  
let her go out and investigate with him. Of course, John would return to his  
side, and Katie doubted that Sherlock needed two assistants. Without anything  
else to do, Katie decided to work on her creative writing. She wanted to get  
the story on her mind written, so she wouldn't have to work on it the next day  
in class. Katie pulled her notebook and pencil out of her bag, and sat cross  
legged on her bed. She opened the notebook to the page that she had left off  
on, and started to write.

'I remember the day John left very well. It was the week before my ninth  
birthday, and the Watson's were planning my party. I told them I didn't really  
need a party, since I didn't have many friends. But, they insisted that they  
get Harry back home, and the family together, so we could all be together on my  
birthday. John wasn't interested. He was working on his medical degree, and he  
was really good at it. We all knew he was going to be a doctor, and I had the  
most faith in him that I've ever felt in anyone. John is, and has always been,  
brilliant in my eyes. Hell, he's brilliant in everyone's eyes. Intelligence was  
just another thing that I admired in John. He had taken an exam recently, and  
his parents weren't appreciating his fantastic grade. They were much more  
focused on planning my party. I tried my hardest to give him the attention he  
deserved, but it didn't mean much coming from me. When I had first come to  
London, John had been completely accepting and loving towards me. But by then,  
John was fed up with me taking his parents attention from him. I never tried to  
do it. In fact, I did everything I could to shift their attention towards him  
instead. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate all they had done for me. I am  
eternally grateful for everything they did to make me feel welcome. The problem was, they practically ignored John.

My brother was trying to ask them a question, and they refused to answer him.  
They were talking about details for the party, and wouldn't give John any  
attention. He snapped, not that I blame him. He yelled, and they yelled, and I  
hid under the stairs. I heard him stomp up to his room, and I followed him. I  
had heard him threaten to join the military. I went to his room, and begged him  
to stay. But he was angry. Angry at me for coming in the first place, his  
parents for bringing me, his sister for drinking, and (I've always believed)  
himself. I think he was angry with himself, for several reasons. Reasons that  
are too complicated for me to figure out. But, for whatever reason, John was  
leaving. No matter how much I begged and pleaded, he had made up his mind. He  
walked out the front door, hailed a taxi to the recruitment station, and left.  
Two months later, Mr. and Mrs. Watson died saving a family from a burning  
building. Authorities say it was an electrical fire.

John couldn't take custody of me. There was no doubt in anyone's mind about  
that. He was in Afghanistan, working as a doctor. Harry couldn't take me,  
either. Her alcoholism had progressed when her parents died, and was deemed to  
be too irresponsible to watch over a nine year old. There wasn't any close  
family I could live with. The only reasonable answer to the conundrum was for  
me to be placed in foster care. I rotated through twelve homes in seven years.  
By the time I was in my eighth home, John had been shot, and had returned to London.  
He didn't want anything to do with me. I was the reason his parents were dead.  
None of us had a doubt about that. I was in the flat, home alone for the first  
time. If I hadn't been around, they wouldn't have been rushing to get home, and  
wouldn't have taken the shortcut home through that side street where a fire was  
about to consume the house. It was my fault.

It IS my fault. I know it. Harry knows it. John knows it. He may have forgiven  
me for it now, but I know that he knows that it's my fault. Sometimes I see him  
frowning the same way he did when he was still home. Then I know he's thinking  
about how much he wishes I had stayed at the orphanage in Ireland.

I hated that orphanage. It was cold and wet and awful, and no one ever smiled.  
The adults weren't kind and the weather was bad and no one ever wanted to adopt  
anyone that wasn't a baby. The food was bad and there was no room to play and  
no one had their own room. The grownups yelled and the babies cried and the  
teenagers snapped at the younger kids when we asked them to read us a story. I  
hated it there, and I wish with all my heart that I was still there. If I  
was still there I would never have met John and his wonderful family. The  
wonderful family that I tore apart. I would never have met Sherlock, Molly,  
Mrs. Hudson, or Lestrard. Friends that I will probably end up tearing apart as  
well. I wouldn't have caused him as much pain as I have, and probably will. I  
wish I were back at that terrible place, because I know John's life would be  
better if I were.'

**Hey beautiful people! So I know this chapter is much longer than my usual ones, but I won't be able to upload for a bit. I'll try to get back to uploading on a regular schedule, so never fear! Soooo... toodles poodles!**


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